Liam Lawson told what he must do to avoid giving Red Bull a ‘hard time’ like Sergio Perez

Liam Lawson is the latest driver to take on the challenge of being Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull after he replaced Sergio Perez for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The Kiwi steps up to the main Red Bull team from their sister squad, now called Racing Bulls, after only 11 Grand Prix starts. Lawson is even starting a season as a Formula 1 driver for the first time this term, having penned five and six cameos over each of the past two campaigns.

What Lawson showed after replacing Daniel Ricciardo at Visa Cash App RB last year proved to Red Bull that he was ready to replace Perez in Milton Keynes. The 23-year-old came in for the final six rounds, yet Lawson immediately rubbed wheels with Fernando Alonso in Austin.

All the while the New Zealander was leaving his calling card on any rival he raced, Perez was costing Red Bull their defence of the F1 constructors’ championship. So, Red Bull terminated Perez’s contract after the last race in Abu Dhabi after scoring 34.7% of Verstappen’s points.

Liam Lawson must ‘constantly’ score points after Sergio Perez cost Red Bull the constructors’ championship

Red Bull could rely on Verstappen alone to claim the constructors’ title in 2023 as his drivers’ title-winning 575 points would have secured the teams’ crown, too, without Perez’s 285. But McLaren won their first teams’ title since 1998 last season, as Red Bull slipped to third place.

READ MORE: Sergio Perez’s Red Bull record compared to Max Verstappen’s ex-teammates

Verstappen defended the drivers’ championship again with 437 points, but Perez would only record 152 to come eighth in the standings. The Dutchman’s tally would have put Red Bull in fourth instead of third place on 589 points behind McLaren (666) and Ferrari (652) last year.

So, while Christian Klien believes Red Bull will offer the inexperienced Lawson time to adjust to racing at the front of the grid, the Milton Keynes crew’s ex-driver has told RacingNews365 that he has to ‘constantly’ score constructors’ championship points or risks mirroring Perez.

“The team have realised that they have to opt for a different, conservative approach,” Klien said. “They will give Lawson time, despite the fact that he is not quite a rookie.

“They won’t expect him to beat Verstappen, or even be as fast as him. They will give Lawson time and hope that he can fight for podium places during the season.

“He will have to constantly collect points so that they do not have a hard time in the constructors’ championship like last year. There are millions to be earned there and so it is important for Red Bull Racing that they do better in that championship this year.”

Red Bull seldom give Max Verstappen’s teammate time and only gave Liam Lawson a one-year contract

Red Bull have seldom been one to afford a driver much time to adjust to being Verstappen’s teammate since Ricciardo left the team after 2018. They demoted Pierre Gasly back to their sister team – then called Toro Rosso – after 12 races in 2019 and canned Alex Albon after 26.

Perez took over from Albon ahead of the 2021 season, and his experience from 10 years for midfield F1 squads helped the Mexican handle being Verstappen’s No2. Only when he tried to battle the Dutchman for the 2023 drivers’ title did the wheels fall off the wagon for Perez.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Red Bull even stuck with Perez over the 2024 season, despite failing to finish on the podium after the fifth of last term’s 24 rounds. After his P4 finish in the Miami Grand Prix, Perez also failed to finish higher than P6 (once at the Dutch Grand Prix) to set Lawson’s baseline target.

After F1 testing in Bahrain last week, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko thinks the pecking order is McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. So, if Lawson fails to at least be in the fight, then Red Bull will wonder if he deserves to earn a contract for the 2026 campaign.