Liam Lawson: Can new Red Bull driver succeed in 'toughest place in F1' after Sergio Perez struggles? | F1 news

After being thrust into what many believe is “the toughest seat in Formula 1”, Liam Lawson faces the ultimate challenge of taking on Max Verstappen to secure his long-term future in the sport.

Red Bull announced on Thursday that 22-year-old New Zealander Lawson will be the reigning world champion's four-time teammate in 2025.

Sergio Perez, Verstappen's longest-serving team-mate, quit after four seasons with Red Bull having struggled for much of his last 18 months at the Milton Keynes team.

Before Perez, Pierre Gasly lasted just 12 races, before Alex Albon was let go after just over a season driving alongside Verstappen.

Before them, Daniel Ricciardo, considered among the elite drivers on the grid at the time, decided to move to Renault after becoming frustrated with Red Bull shaping their future around Verstappen.

I'm talking to Sky Sports News this month, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Driving alongside Max is the toughest place in Formula 1 because he's the best driver on the grid.

“He's a four-time world champion, he's a generational talent. You have to pretty much ignore what's going on in his car so you don't put too much pressure on yourself.”

It sounds like a tall, if not impossible, order for a driver who has competed in just 11 Grands Prix, during which time he has failed to stand out among an exciting new generation of young talent.

So, in his own words from an exclusive interview with Sky Sports Newswhy might Lawson succeed where others have failed?

A full pre-season and a fast car

While Lawson's lack of experience casts doubt on his readiness for this moment, that's partly why he was given the opportunity.

His main rival for the seat – and team-mate for all his F1 appearances to date – Yuki Tsunoda, has just completed his fourth full season in the sport, and has overtaken Lawson, along with previous RB drivers Ricciardo and Nyck de Vries.

Based on the results alone, the headquarters should have been Tsunodina. But Red Bull appear to be banking on the theory that Lawson will reach a higher level by the time he has had as many F1 races behind the wheel as the Japanese driver currently has.

The first benefit he will experience is the opportunity to properly prepare for a full campaign.

“It's something I've never had and it's exciting,” Lawson said. “I don't know what to do with myself, to be honest, because I have so much time to think about it now. I almost just want to get straight into it.

“It will be important. That's how you use that time. We'll start early, I'm sure we'll do a lot of preparation in January. It's just about making the most of it for the Bahrain test.”

The other big factor that could allow Lawson to make an impact is that he jumps into a car that has won nine races in 2024.

It's very rare for a rookie to get a chance at the front of the car, but in 2025 there will be two, with Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes following the Briton's decision to join Ferrari.

He said: “There are definitely pros and cons to it. I think where my head is at, I'm obviously only looking at the pros and for me it's super exciting, and I know it's going to be extremely difficult.

“A lot of tracks I've never been to. But to be in a car that just won the world championship, as a driver, it's extremely exciting knowing you're going into a competitive situation, but I'm fully aware of how difficult it's going to be.”

Learning from Verstappen… without him realizing it

Although Lawson lacks Grand Prix experience, he has not lacked time in and around the Red Bull team.

Unlike some of his predecessors, Lawson was able to follow Verstappen closely during the Dutchman's rise to greatness.

Asked if being around Verstappen had helped, Lawson said: “Certainly, I think even probably, without him even realizing it.

“Being a reserve for a few years now, I started to spend a lot more time with Red Bull than with RB.

“As a backup I watched all the sessions, listened to his reports, listened to his communication during the sessions and just watched from the background. So I spent a lot of time watching how he does it, what his communication with it is, his feedback.”

During his limited spell on the grid, Lawson echoed Verstappen's uncompromising nature amid on- and off-track disputes with experienced rivals such as Perez and Fernando Alonso.

However, Lawson says he wants to follow other elements of Verstappen's hugely successful approach.

“Coming in as a reserve last year at Zandvoort, he gave me a little advice, mostly about the mindset of how he does it,” Lawson said.

“He's obviously a very relaxed guy out of the car and manages to push a lot of the pressure off, I think, so that was something for me to watch and learn from.”

Lessons from Albon

An area where Verstappen's previous Red Bull team-mates struggled was dealing with the design of the team's cars, which some suggested was aimed at his penchant for oversteer.

While others may have been unprepared for this, a significant amount of testing Lawson was able to do during his time, as the team's reserve driver could serve him better than his predecessors.

“I've been driving the car for the last couple of years and doing tests, and I can say that the car is very aggressive, and it takes a lot of confidence to drive, honestly,” Lawson said.

“And I think that's where Max is obviously extremely confident as a driver. But the main thing is that he's the best in the world right now.

“Going against the best guy is always going to be very, very difficult, and at the end of the day, that's probably the main reason anyone has struggled to go against him so far.”

On his way to Formula 1, Lawson competed in the German DTM racing car series in 2021, partnering Albon, who had just left Red Bull.

Already clear on where he wanted to end up, Lawson asked Albon for information he hoped would help him in the future.

“When we were in DTM, he probably got sick of me asking all the questions. But I did, I asked him a lot of questions about Red Bull and how it was in the team and what the car was like,” recalled Lawson.

“I know the car was different back then, but honestly, the features are probably pretty similar. And I have driven the car and I can say that it is aggressive and probably quite difficult to drive.

“He told me it's all about confidence. And against Max, that's obviously needed.”

Beating the odds with Kiwi spirit

While an argument could be made that Lawson's unusual path to his place at Red Bull may have been the best possible preparation, most observers would see his success as more of a surprise than a failure.

The good news for Lawson is that playing the underdog is nothing new to him.

For starters, he comes from a country that has only produced one other F1 driver (who only lasted two seasons) in the last 40 years.

“I think I would achieve at a high level in any sport or any industry you choose, being from New Zealand I feel it's always harder coming from a small country,” Lawson said.

“I didn't know personally how unattainable Formula 1 was, I was always lucky to just believe I could do it and I was lucky to have my family around me to give me that support. But looking back, it's a bit more difficult.”

But even in New Zealand, Lawson's parents' lack of financial means meant the transition from domestic to international competition was a challenge.

“The first 12 months of karting I did, I finished solid last every time. I was just driving alone at the back of the field,” Lawson recalled.

“I was trying to convince my dad to get a better bike because I was convinced it was bad, and he ended up doing it. And we put it in for this qualifying session at this big event and we were right at the front, and that was the moment karting got serious.

“For my parents, they sacrificed everything for me as a kid. Even just to race a kart, to compete at the front in New Zealand, it's still extremely expensive.

“My parents don't have a house right now because I grew up karting and left home. My brothers and sisters, my whole family gave up a lot to do this.”

In a 2025 season already full of fascinating storylines, Lawson's bid to prove he belongs at the top of the gridiron promises to be entertaining.

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