In the end the decision has arrived: after announcing Sergio Perez’s retirement yesterday, Red Bull has finally announced who will race next year alongside Max Verstappen. The chosen one is Liam Lawsonthus promoted to the senior team after his brief experience in Racing Bulls.
Lawson, first season as a starter
For the New Zealand driver born in 2002, next year will be the first full season in F1: in fact, so far he has only contested eleven Grands Prixfive in 2023 and six in 2024, first to replace the injured Daniel Ricciardo and then again in place of the Australian who is now on foot, achieving a best result of ninth place on three occasions. A start that was enough to convince the Red Bull top management, enriching a CV that saw him place third in Formula 2 in 2022 and second in the DTM in 2021, the latter at the wheel of a Ferrari 488 of the AF team Racing supported by Red Bull.
Although from a certain point of view it seems difficult to be able to do worse than what Sergio Perez achieved last season, Lawson will be called upon to take on a very difficult task, that is, not to disappoint an extremely fickle environment like the Red Bull one: Going from rising star to youth program reject in Milton Keynes could indeed prove to be an extremely rapid process.
Who in his place in Racing Bulls?
Lawson then won the internal runoff with Yuki Tsunodawho perhaps hoped to have earned promotion after the tests held at Yas Marina with Red Bull. The Japanese will only have to give his best to demonstrate to the team leaders that he has made a mistake.
Lawson’s seat will be filled by Isack Hadjarthird this year in F2, who in the post-race press conference in Lusail let slip that he had already signed a contract for 2025. The only other vaguely consistent alternative seemed to be that of Franco Colapinto, but after the furore generated by the his debut in F1, his prices seem to have dropped considerably.
Lawson and Horner’s statements
Being announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver is a dream, something I have wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old. It’s been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a big thank you to the entire VCARB team for their support, the last six races have played a fundamental role in my preparation for this next step. I also want to thank Christian, Helmut and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a world champion, I have no doubt that I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get started!
Liam Lawson
I am delighted to announce that Liam Lawson will be joining the Team in 2025. Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have shown that he is not only capable of achieving strong results, but that he is also a true driver , who is not afraid to compete with the best and come first. His arrival continues the Team’s long history of promotion within the Red Bull Junior Program and follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Max 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 confident that Liam can rise to this challenge and deliver exceptional results for us next year .
Christian Horner
Alfredo Cirelli
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