Red Bull Racing fans will be looking forward to their first new driver pairing for four years when this season’s Australian Grand Prix rolls around.
For the first time since the beginning of the 2021 season, Max Verstappen will be joined by a driver who isn’t Sergio Perez.
Liam Lawson was the man called up from the Red Bull program to replace the Mexican after a difficult 2024 campaign.
The Kiwi has just 11 Grand Prix under his belt, making him the least experienced driver to race for Red Bull in Formula 1 since Vitantonio Liuzzi and Robert Doornbos.
Lawson is being promoted into a leading car in what’s expected to be one of the closest seasons in recent memory.
Verstappen enters the campaign as a four-time world champion and the man to beat for everyone else on the grid.
Both McLaren and Ferrari drivers will back themselves to challenge the Dutchman, while George Russell’s feud with Verstappen could add another level of intrigue to the season.
This leaves Lawson and Andrea Kimi Antonelli out of the drivers from the leading teams and both will hope to spring a surprise in 2025.
Lawson was speaking to Stuff.co.nz during the off-season and spoke about how despite being added under pressure in a new team, his preparation heading into the campaign may make his life easier than in previous years.
Liam Lawson has stability for the ‘first time’ in his Red Bull career
Lawson has spoken about the pressure Helmut Marko put him under in the past and up to earning a full-time race seat, has been fighting for his future in motorsport every year.
The Kiwi was asked if it had sunk in yet that he would be racing for Red Bull this season and he said: “Honestly, no.
“As much as it needs to as I’m about to go to work and it’s about to get very, very busy, but no, right now it’s not quite real.
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“Obviously, I’m in a more unique position now. Every other season I’ve gone into the season and not really had an idea of where I was going to end up later that year.
“Whereas, this is the first time now that I can go into a season, prepare properly, know exactly what’s coming up.
“It’s exciting, but I’m sure when I get over there in a week’s time, it’s going to get very real, very fast.”
Liam Lawson given advice by Max Verstappen’s father on how to survive at Red Bull
Lawson will be given time to bed in at Red Bull, mainly because team principal Christian Horner doesn’t have a standout driver to replace him in his opinion.
Horner has never been convinced by Yuki Tsunoda and unless Isack Hadjar defies all expectations, he’ll need time to prepare for life in F1 at Racing Bulls.
Red Bull’s aim has always been to keep Verstappen and his camp happy given that their success heavily revolves around his involvement.
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Jos Verstappen has told Lawson not to make one mistake that he made in his season at Benetton alongside Michael Schumacher.
There are plenty of similarities between the two scenarios, although Lawson will hope to improve upon Verstappen Snr’s 10th-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship that year.
Lawson is popular within the Verstappen camp and that will help him stick around at least while his performances are up to the required standard.
The stability he’s been given by Red Bull this year should also help him settle in and maybe prevent him from taking part in some of the more aggressive battles he had with Perez and Fernando Alonso last year.
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