Max Verstappen will have his fifth teammate in seven years in 2025 as Liam Lawson makes the step up to the team.
The Kiwi driver has been promoted to the Milton Keynes-based outfit from their junior team Visa Cash App RB after appearing in the final six races of 2024 as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement.
Lawson will replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull in 2025 after the Mexican confirmed his long-awaited exit from the team on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old was in contention for the seat with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda. Despite the Japanese driver having more experience in F1, Christian Horner says Lawson had demonstrated ‘the right mindset’ for Red Bull in a short space of time, which led to the Kiwi driver getting the nod over Tsunoda.
Damon Hill expressed his excitement for Lawson stating it is a big break for the 22-year-old as he prepares for his first full season in F1.
Liam Lawson is excited to learn from ‘the best’ in Max Verstappen in 2025
Lawson certainly has a big task ahead of him next season as he goes up against four-time champion Verstappen in equal machinery.
The Dutchman grabbed his fourth consecutive title this season despite having an inferior car to the likes of McLaren and Ferrari from the halfway way point of the season. Verstappen won nine races as he beat Lando Norris by 63 points in the standings.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Max Verstappen |
437 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
374 |
| 3 |
Charles Leclerc |
356 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
292 |
| 5 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
290 |
| 6 |
George Russell |
245 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
223 |
| 8 |
Sergio Perez |
152 |
| 9 |
Fernando Alonso |
70 |
| 10 |
Pierre Gasly |
42 |
Lawson has only competed in 11 races in F1 so far, and while he has impressed in that time, he does have a huge mountain to climb when he joins Red Bull. But the 22-year-old is looking forward to the challenge and learning from ‘the best’ in the sport on the other side of the garage.
Lawson told The Times: “I’m going to try and do the best job I can to support the team to the constructors’.
“Honestly, what excites me more is knowing that this guy [Max] is the best, he’s won the last four championships, he’s looked at as the best F1 driver in the world.
“I get to take his data from every single session, every practice, qualifying, race, I get access to everything, to see exactly how he does it. There’s nobody better to learn off.”
Will Liam Lawson be the next Red Bull driver to fail next to Max Verstappen?
Looking back over the years, any driver that has been next to Verstappen since 2018 has struggled to make an impact or get near the Dutchman.
Ricciardo could not match Verstappen in 2018 before he moved to Renault the following year. His replacement Pierre Gasly lasted just 12 races at Red Bull in 2019 before he was demoted back to Toro Rosso, registering a best finish of fourth at Silverstone.
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Alex Albon faired no better as Gasly’s replacement. While he had a couple of strong showings, including two podiums in 2020, the Thai driver was nowhere near Verstappen’s level as he was dropped by Red Bull entirely before 2021.
In Perez’s four seasons with the team, he won five races while the Dutchman won 53 on his way to winning his four championships – and now Lawson runs the risk of becoming the next driver to struggle and be dropped by the team.
The Kiwi driver does have potential with his pace over one lap and his aggressive nature during races, and with Verstappen as his teammate, he has a great opportunity to show Red Bull they made the right decision.
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