With Liam Lawson recently announced as the newest Red Bull recruit, questions are already circulating about how his debut season with the championship winning team will play out. Here is what we already know about Max Verstappen’s newest teammate.
Where Did He Start?:
Lawson began karting like any other driver at aged seven and was eventually promoted to junior formula racing in 2015 at age 13. He won his first championship with Formula Ford the same year as a privatee (independent entry). From there onwards, the New Zelander accumulated a rich junior career to support his future employability with consistent competitiveness in Australian F4, Toyota Racing Series, F3 and F2. He was a race winner at every level of his junior career.
Lawson joined the Red Bull family in 2019, becoming a part of the junior team and appointed reserve driver for the previously named AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing.
He briefly debuted in Formula 1 for the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix replacing an injured Daniel Ricciardo for RB. Liam had undoubtedly been on the cards for Helmut Marko when discussing driver arrangements for the coming seasons. He placed 13th in Zandvoort and would continue to fill this seat for the next five races. He eventually scored his debut points in Austin for the United States GP.
Liam’s 2024 Season:
Upon the announcement of Ricciardo’s departure from the RB team after the 2024 Singapore GP, Lawson was appointed to this seat for the remainder of the season. During the season he amassed a total of four points, placing him 21st in the drivers standings. His highest finishing position was P9 in Brazil and Austin. Liam’s 2024 season started with a bang after creating some friction with Fernando Alonso after the sprint race. During a post race interview he claimed he was “not here to make friends” asserting his intentions very early on.
Following Austin, Liam continued to spark some fiery interactions with drivers after making contact with Sergio Perez at the Mexican GP. He later apologised for his aggression towards the drivers stating that “It was not something I should have done and something I won’t be doing again. I have no idea of their mindsets or their goals, I’m just focused on mine.”
What Does This Mean For 2025?:
Based on his bold and fiery entrance into Formula 1, it is safe to say that he will be trying to put up some competition to Verstappen. Whether this will steer the team in a positive direction to the constructors championship or will end in a plethora of driver feuds is yet to be discovered. But one thing is for sure, is that Liam Lawson will try to prove himself against Max.
However, he is the most inexperienced driver that Red Bull Racing has ever recruited with just 11 F1 races under his belt. We are yet to find out if the young driver will be able to handle the power of the top team car or will meet a similar fate to Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon in 2019. Regardless, the 2025 grid is now officially set with Isack Hadjar filling Lawson’s RB seat and is set to be a very exciting season with six full season rookies; four of those being new faces.
Feature Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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