Liam Lawson ascended quickly through the junior ranks as the New Zealander consistently contended for championships.
When Lawson moved to Europe, he was immediately on the pace. He finished second in the ADAC F4 Championship before winning races in FIA F3 and Formula 2.
For next season, the Kiwi will partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull after stepping up from the Racing Bulls team.
It is a significant risk for the Austrian team to put Lawson alongside the Dutchman, with just 11 races of experience at the highest level.
Lawson wasn’t afraid to battle more experienced drivers this year, which may have helped him get the seat at Red Bull ahead of Yuki Tsunoda.
Red Bull have been developing Lawson throughout much of his junior career, and they were very impressed by one thing he did in DTM.
Liam Lawson adapted quickly to the very different cars in DTM
Lawson had an impressive junior career, and in 2021, he stepped up to Formula 2 after challenging for the championship in FIA F3.
Formula 2 is a very difficult category, and young drivers are on the verge of reaching the highest level after years of sacrifices.
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Lawson combined his efforts in F2 with a campaign in DTM to gather more experience in a very different type of car.
Motorsport reported that Red Bull signed Lawson for 2025 partly because of his ability to adapt to GT cars from single-seaters.
He had to adjust to a new style of racing and learn how to maximise driver aids such as ABS and traction control, which can be difficult to manage.
Lawson drove very well and narrowly missed out on the championship. He finished second, three points behind Maximilian Gotz. The Kiwi took three wins, including a dominant double-race win at the Red Bull Ring.
Adaptability is a very valuable skill, as the cars in Formula 1 constantly change, and different conditions and updates impact them.
Liam Lawson may take time to adjust next season at Red Bull
The Red Bull car is difficult to drive, and Lawson will have to manage the very sharp front end that more experienced drivers such as Sergio Perez and Alex Albon struggled to deal with.
Both drivers were a long way off Verstappen and had more experience behind the wheel in Formula 1 than Lawson did before joining the team.
Some circuits early in the calendar, such as the Shanghai International Circuit in China, are new to Lawson. This may make life more difficult on the race weekend.
Red Bull may need to be patient with their new signing, although the Kiwi will be expected to stay consistent and score significant points.
