Former Toro Rosso boss Gerhard Berger says he would have picked Carlos Sainz over Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s new Red Bull team-mate for the F1 2025 season.

But he has given his backing to Lawson, admitting that the New Zealander was not a “bad” choice to replace Sergio Perez.

Red Bull didn’t make a ‘bad’ choice in Liam Lawson but…

While Verstappen raced to a fourth World Championship last season, recovering from a 10-race winless streak to win the title by 63 points over Lando Norris, his team-mate Perez floundered.

Scoring a mere nine points in the final eight races of the championship, the writing was on the wall for Perez and Red Bull announced he would not continue with the team in F1 2025.

Shortly after, they confirmed Lawson as Verstappen’s latest Red Bull team-mate.

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It brought an end to almost 12 months of speculation over the F1 2025 Red Bull driver lineup, with Sainz in the early running as he sought a new team after being dropped by Ferrari to make room for Lewis Hamilton.

The four-time grand prix winner was in talks with Red Bull in April last year, as confirmed at the time by Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

He told the Austrian media: “We are talking to him, he is having his best season in Formula 1. We remember him from his time at Toro Rosso when he drove alongside Max.”

However, the team instead opted to give Perez a new two-year contract, re-signing him after the Monaco Grand Prix, a decision that ultimately cost them a reported $78 million as they had to pay him off when they decided not to continue with the Mexican driver.

By then, even if Red Bull wanted Sainz, he was out of the running having already signed a multi-year contract with Williams.

Red Bull went with Lawson – a decision that Berger says is not a bad one, just not the best one.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, the former F1 driver was asked if there was anyone on the grid who could keep up with the four-time World Champion.

“Verstappen is the best driver, no question about it,” he said. “There is probably no one who really gives him steam.

“But I would have taken Carlos Sainz in any case.

“Even though I don’t think it’s bad that they put Lawson next to Max, it might have been better for the young guy to gain more experience at Toro Rosso [Racing Bulls] first.”

Berger knows Lawson from his 2021 season in DTM when the New Zealander raced for Red Bull AF Corse and finished second in the championship, claiming three race wins in 16 races.

He beat fellow Red Bull-backed driver Alex Albon, who finished sixth in the standings and almost 100 points behind Lawson.

At the time, Berger was in charge of the German racing series and revealed he recommended Marko to promote Lawson into Formula 1.

“I already liked Lawson in the DTM,” he said. “He was faster and more aggressive than Albon, and Albon is doing a good job at Williams.

“That’s why I recommended Helmut to take a look at it at the time.

“I think Verstappen and Lawson can be a good pairing.”

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