Liam Lawson has finally been handed an opportunity to race in Formula 1 full-time from the start of the 2025 season.
He has the tricky task of being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate after they dropped Sergio Perez following a spell of poor performances.
Team boss Christian Horner has told Lawson to ignore Verstappen’s Red Bull data if he wants to be successful at the team.
They finished third in this year’s Constructors’ Championship after Perez struggled to get to grips with the RB20.
Lawson will be expected to perform at a higher level and compete from day one despite only having 11 races of experience at Visa Cash App RB.
Ex-teammate Yuki Tsunoda was overlooked for the gig despite having 87 races under his belt which may lead to him searching for opportunities elsewhere now.
Helmut Marko ‘wanted’ Liam Lawson to replace Daniel Ricciardo permanently in 2023
Lawson’s first five races of Formula 1 experience came back in 2023 after replacing Daniel Ricciardo at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Aussie broke his wrist in an FP3 shunt and spent two months recovering before returning to AlphaTauri (Visa Cash App RB’s old name).
Lawson proved that he was ready for the jump the sport almost straight away and impressed a lot of people on the way.
READ MORE: What Alex Albon once said about Red Bull’s ‘eye-watering’ car trait that might worry Liam Lawson
Speaking on the F1 YouTube channel, commentator Alex Jacques revealed how Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko wanted to replace Ricciardo permanently after his crash.
“I know Helmut Marko wanted Lawson to never leave that team,” he said. “When Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand, Helmut Marko was arguing ‘Right, Liam’s our future now, it’s harsh but let’s back our future prospect.’
“There was a lot of chatter. My understanding is from the paddock that Liam expected to be in the car earlier than he was in 2024. You’re now sending him to the senior team with 11 starts. Have they played things correctly with Liam?”
Can Red Bull reclaim the F1 Constructors’ Championship in 2025?
Marko told Lawson he needs to make an improvement at Red Bull in 2025 as he prepares to get back in the groove of intense racing.
They’re likely to be involved in a championship battle and they will need him to be on good form and ready to back Verstappen up.
The likes of McLaren and Ferrari are ready for more success after being forced to watch the Austrian outfit dominate for years.
READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo once doubted Red Bull’s key partners who have now perfectly proved him wrong
Ending the year with the third-fastest car was less than ideal and has left them with plenty of work to do over the winter but they’ve performed greater miracles before.
It’s the final year of the current technical regulations before everything changes for 2026 and Red Bull will be eager to sign off in the only way that they know – by winning.
