Will Liam Lawson be Sergio Perez’s replacement at Red Bull Racing. The young New Zealand driver, already in pole position for some time to take over the seat of the 34-year-old Mexican, has now been officially confirmed by the Milton Keynes team, which in the late afternoon of Wednesday 18 December had announced the long-awaited farewell to Checo. Lawson will therefore be Max Verstappen’s partner in the 2025 F1 season, with an agreement that for the moment is only annual. The choice is however risky, given that Red Bull has decided to promote the 22-year-old from Racing Bulls despite his lack of experience.
TSUNODA REMAINS IN FAENZA Lawson has been part of the Junior Team of the Anglo-Austrian team since 2019 and has certainly impressed since his debut in F1 (in place of the injured Ricciardo in five races of the 2023 season) but the fact that he has only competed in 11 GPs in total makes him particularly vulnerable in the arduous comparison with Verstappen. The Japanese, however, “failed”. Yuki Tsunodathe other main candidate to seat Perez, who will continue his career in the Faenza team for the fifth year in a row. His teammate has yet to be announced, but here too no surprises are expected: in all likelihood it will be the French-Algerian, vice-champion of Formula 2, Isack Hadjar.
LAWSON’S JOY “Be announced as a Red Bull Racing driver – he said Lawson – It’s a lifelong dream for me, it’s something I’ve wanted and worked for since I was eight years old. It’s been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the entire Racing Bulls team for their support as the last six races have played a key role in my preparation for this step. I also want to thank Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m excited to work alongside Max and learn from a world champion. I have no doubt that I will learn from his experience. I can’t wait to get started”.
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HORNER’S COMMENT “I am pleased to announce that Liam Lawson – adds the team principal, Christian Horner – will join the Team in 2025. Liam’s performances over the course of his two spells with Racing Bulls have shown that not only is he capable of achieving excellent results, but that he is also a real driver, not afraid to mix it up with the better and come out on top. His arrival continues the long history of promotions within the Red Bull youth program and follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Verstappen. There is no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task, but I am sure that Liam will rise to the challenge and achieve exceptional results for us next year”.
Published by Alessio Ricci, 12/19/2024
