Christian Horner has a plan to ensure Red Bull doesn’t put too much pressure on Liam Lawson, who will contest his first full season this year and team up with Max Verstappen in the team that has dominated F1’s current era . He recalls what strategy the team has applied for its drivers since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo.
“Daniel and Max were a strong duo, but we had two juniors who struggled and that’s why Checo took a seat in the car for the 2021 season, and coped with the pressure” Horner said.
“The other factor we are focusing on is making sure we create a wider operating window with the RB21 than with the RB20, which was very narrow and had a maximum performance window.”
“For us, creating a wider window will help Liam find a more forgiving car than the RB20 can be on occasion. One of the things we will look to do is protect Liam from expectations, and of course, when Alex [Albon] and Peter [Gasly] were on the team, Max was not the four-time world champion.”
“He hadn’t yet won a world championship at that point, but we have a very clear position within the team regarding the state of Max’s career and what we expect from the second pilot.”
-Pérez, for his part, praised the level of Max Verstappen and declared that the challenge would be immense for Liam Lawson: “It’s an incredible challenge. I knew what I was doing when I came here.”
“It’s an incredible challenge and people should not underestimate the level of experience, the level of ability, the mental strength that you need to face this extreme challenge.”
“As Max’s teammate at Red Bull as a young driver, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. People can’t underestimate the level of difficulty they face.”
