While his excitement pushes him to positivity, Liam Lawson admits there are “cons” to his first full-time F1 seat being the Red Bull.

After two stand-in stints with the Red Bull B-team across 2023/24, Lawson steps up to Red Bull Racing for F1 2025 following Sergio Perez’s departure, as the Kiwi prepares to become the next driver to test himself alongside Red Bull’s resident team-mate destroyer Max Verstappen.

Liam Lawson admits to Red Bull opportunity ‘pros and cons’

Lawson has contested 11 grands prix with Racing Bulls, but his first full F1 season arrives with Red Bull, the team with which Verstappen won his fourth straight title and will go into F1 2025 expecting to extend his streak.

Understandably, Lawson’s eyes have lit up knowing he will be at the wheel of what Red Bull will plan on being an F1 car with race-winning potential at least, though it does heighten the challenge.

“There’s definitely pros and cons to that,” Lawson admitted to Sky F1.

“I think where my head is at, obviously, I’m just looking at the pros, and for me, it’s super exciting.

“And I know it’s going to be extremely tough, a lot of tracks I’ve never been to, but yeah, to be in a car that’s just won the World Championship, as a driver that’s extremely exciting, knowing that you’re going into a competitive situation, but I’m fully aware of how tough it’s going to be.

“But at the end of the day, I’ve also got the best in the world to compare to and learn from. And there’s nobody better really to… For me, I get access to every single session, all the data, things like that I get to see.

“So, yeah, at the moment, I’m just excited.”

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And with Lawson having served as the Red Bull reserve over the past couple of seasons, the Kiwi has been able to study Verstappen in the background.

“For sure,” Lawson replied when asked if Verstappen has been helpful to him in his time at Red Bull. “I think even probably without realising it.

“Being in reserve for quite a few years, I started actually spending a lot more time with Red Bull Racing than VCARB. And as a reserve, I was watching all the sessions, listening to his debriefs, listening to his communication during the sessions, and just watching from in the background.

“So I spent a lot of time almost watching how he does it, and seeing how his communication is with the team, feedback.

“And then stepping in as reserve last year in Zandvoort, little things, giving me sort of little bits of advice, mostly on the mindset of how he goes about it. He’s obviously a very relaxed guy outside of the car, and he manages to push away a lot of the pressure.

“I think so for me, that was something to watch and learn from.”

Lawson’s Red Bull debut will take place at the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March, as Albert Park returns to its former place as the season opener.

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