All the talk at the end of the Formula 1 season was about who between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull would hire to replace Sergio Perez after his abysmal performances.
They settled on the Kiwi after plenty of waiting but his second spell in the sport with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls didn’t entirely go to plan.
Lawson now faces the tricky task of being Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2025 as Red Bull seek to reclaim a Constructors’ Championship crown they just lost.
It should be easier to achieve now that Perez has left. The 35-year-old’s struggles were the main reason why they failed to retain the title in the first place.
Lawson and Perez had a battle in Mexico which turned sour long before any decision had been made regarding future driver line-ups.
Although it was intense at the time and Lawson may have been in the wrong, it might have gone against Perez on home turf as his 22-year-old rival proved that he had some fire within his belly.
Liam Lawson ‘summoned’ a meeting with Christian Horner and Helmut Mark after Sergio Perez clash
Lawson was dealt a tricky hand when asked to return to Formula 1 on short notice and perform from the outset again this year.
His teammate Tsunoda had 76 more races of experience and knew this year’s car far better than he did at that time.
Helmut Marko claims Tsunoda lacks consistency compared to Lawson which ended up costing him one of the best gigs in the sport.
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It was after a clash with Perez in Mexico that Lawson called a meeting with Marko and Red Bull boss Christian Horner to explain and apologise for his actions.
“His attitude is bang on,” Mat Coch told Speedcafe. “When he went wheel to wheel with Sergio Perez in Mexico there were photos of him waiting out front of the Red Bull hospitality.
“The line that went with that was he’s been summoned by Christian Horner to explain himself. It was actually the other way around. Liam Lawson called the meeting with Christian and Helmut Marko to explain and offer [an] apology.”
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Some of Verstappen’s past teammates including Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon never even managed to win a race with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
It’s unknown how strong Red Bull’s 2025 car will be, but the RB20 ended the season as the third-fastest machine and it was a worrying sign for them.
Both McLaren and Ferrari appeared comfortably faster and it means that both drivers face an uphill battle to keep them in the fight if things remain the same.
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Developing over the winter will be important for them if they want to remain in the picture for both championships again next year.
Then they could opt to focus on the 2026 F1 regulations which are set to shake the field up all again for the first time since 2022.
