Liam Lawson: Can new Red Bull driver succeed in occupying ‘hardest seat in F1’ after Sergio Perez’s struggles? | F1 News

After being placed in what many consider to be “the hardest 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 New Zealander Lawson, 22, would be the teammate of the four-time reigning world champion in 2025.

Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s longest-serving teammate, was dropped after four seasons with Red Bull after struggling badly for much of his final 18 months with the Milton Keynes outfit.

Before Perez, Pierre Gasly only competed in 12 races, before Alex Albon was fired after just over a season alongside Verstappen.

Before them, Daniel Ricciardo, who was considered one of the elite drivers on the grid at the time, chose to move to Renault, frustrated by Red Bull shaping its future around Verstappen.

Talk to Sky Sports News This month, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Driving alongside Max is the most difficult place in Formula 1 because he is the best driver on the grid.”

“He’s a four-time world champion, he’s a generational talent. You almost have to ignore what’s happening in your car so as not to put too much pressure on yourself.”

This seems like a daunting, if not impossible, task for a driver who has only competed in 11 Grands Prix, during which time he has failed to stand out among the sport’s exciting new generation of young talents.

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

A complete pre-season and a fast car

While Lawson’s lack of experience raises doubts about his readiness for this moment, it’s also part of the reason the opportunity presented itself to him.

His main rival for the seat – and teammate for all his F1 appearances to date – Yuki Tsunoda, has just completed his fourth full season in the sport and has surpassed Lawson, alongside previous RB drivers Ricciardo and Nyck de Vries. .

Based on results alone, the seat should have been Tsunoda’s. But Red Bull appears to be banking on the theory that by the time Lawson has completed as many races behind the wheel of F1 as the Japanese driver currently does, he will have reached a higher level.

The first benefit he will benefit from is the possibility of properly preparing a complete campaign.

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

“It’s going to be important. It also depends on how you use this time. We’ll start early, I’m sure by January we’ll already be doing a lot of preparations. It’s just about making the most of it before the start of the season. Bahrain Test.”

The other major factor that could allow Lawson to make an impact is him getting into a car that has won nine races in 2024.

It’s very rare for a rookie to get an opportunity in a top 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 I am, obviously I only watch the pros and for me it’s super exciting, and I know it’s okay be extremely difficult.

“I’ve never been to a lot of circuits. But being in a car that just won the world championship, as a driver, it’s extremely exciting to know that you’re in a competitive situation, but I’m fully aware of how hard it’s going to be.”

Learning from Verstappen… without him realizing it

Although Lawson lacks Grand Prix experience, he has had no shortage of time in and around the Red Bull team.

Unlike some of his predecessors, Lawson has been able to closely monitor Verstappen during the Dutchman’s rise to greatness.

Asked if being with Verstappen was helpful, Lawson replied: “Of course, I probably even think without him realizing it.

“As a reserve for several years, I started spending a lot more time with Red Bull rather than RB.

“As a reserve, I was watching all the sessions, listening to his debriefs, listening to his communication during the sessions and just watching in the background. So I spent a lot of time observing how he does it, how his communication goes with the team, his feedback.”

During his limited time on the grid, Lawson replicated Verstappen’s uncompromising nature amid conflicts on and off the track with experienced rivals such as Perez and Fernando Alonso.

However, it is other elements of Verstappen’s hugely successful approach that Lawson says he wants to follow.

“Coming in as a reserve last year at Zandvoort, he gave me little tips, mainly on how he goes about things,” Lawson said.

“He’s obviously a very relaxed guy outside of the car and he manages to take a lot of the pressure off I think, so for me it was something to watch and learn from.”

Lessons from Albon

An area where Verstappen’s previous teammates at Red Bull have struggled with is the design of the team’s cars, which some believe was geared towards its preference for oversteer.

While others may not have been prepared for this, the significant amount of testing Lawson was able to complete during his tenure as the team’s reserve driver might serve him more well than his predecessors.

“I’ve driven the car for the last couple of years and done some testing, and I can say the car is very aggressive and it takes a lot of confidence to drive it, honestly,” Lawson said.

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

“Competing against the best is always going to be very, very difficult, and at the end of the day, that’s probably the biggest reason why anyone has had a hard time facing him so far.”

On his way to F1, Lawson competed in the German DTM sports car racing series in 2021, where he proved to be a partner of Albon, who had just been dropped by Red Bull.

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

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

“I know the car was different back then, but honestly, the features are probably pretty similar. And I’ve driven the car and I can say it’s aggressive, and it’s probably pretty difficult to drive .”

“He told me it’s about confidence. And going against Max is obviously what it takes.”

Defeat all odds with Kiwi spirit

While one could argue that Lawson’s unorthodox path to his seat at Red Bull might have been the best preparation possible, most onlookers would see success for him as a bigger surprise than failure.

The good news for Lawson is that playing the underdog role is nothing new for 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 reaching a high level in any sport or any industry you choose, being from New Zealand, I feel like it’s always more difficult in a small country” , Lawson said.

“Personally I didn’t know how unachievable F1 was, I was always lucky to believe I could do it and I was lucky that my family around me gave me that support . But in hindsight, it’s a little more difficult.”

But even in New Zealand, Lawson’s parents’ lack of financial means meant that moving from domestic to international competition was a challenge.

“In my first 12 months of karting, I finished solidly last every time. I was driving by myself at the back of the pack,” Lawson recalls.

“I was trying to convince my dad to buy a better engine because I was convinced it wasn’t good, and finally he did. And we put it in for that qualifying session during this big event and we were straight ahead, and that’s when karting got serious.

“For my parents, they sacrificed everything for me when I was a kid. Even just to race karts, to compete at the front in New Zealand, it’s still extremely expensive.

“My parents don’t own a house right now because I grew up racing go-karts and left home. My siblings, my whole family gave up a lot for me to do this.”

In a 2025 season already filled with fascinating storylines, Lawson’s attempt to prove he belongs at the front of the grid promises to entertain.

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