Liam Lawson confirmed as Max Verstappen teammate at Red Bull

Liam Lawson confirmed as Max Verstappen teammate at Red Bull

19th December 2024 0 By Kamron Kent

Red Bull Racing have confirmed New Zealand’s Liam Lawson will complete the team’s 2025 driver line-up to partner up alongside Max Verstappen after Sergio Perez’s exit.

Feature image credit: Red Bull Content Pool

In the wake of Red Bull announcing that Perez will leave the team immediately, they have completed – again – their 2025 driver line-up with Lawson stepping up to replace the Mexican driver, moving over from Visa Cash App RB. 

The news came less than 24 hours after Perez’s departure, with the Milton Keynes-based team choosing Lawson over the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda in the sister VCARB team. 

Lawson has described the opportunity to step up to the senior squad is a ‘lifelong’ dream for the Kiwi. On the announcement, he said: 

“To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old. It’s been an incredible journey so far. 

“I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part 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 am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going!”

Lawson is set to compete in his first full season in F1 in 2025 after completing 11 grand prix with cameo appearances for then-Alpha Tauri and the now-VCARB team. 

He replaced Daniel Ricciardo in 2023, for five races, whilst the Australian sat out with an injury to his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix. He later replaced Ricciardo again in 2024 for the remainder of the season as the Australian’s replacement.

Red Bull’s Team Principle and CEO, Christian Horner explained the decision to opt for Lawson was down to his short stints at both Alpha Tauri and VCARB. The Briton claimed the Kiwi was ‘capable of delivering strong results’ and that Lawson is ‘a real racer,’ he said: 

“I’m delighted to announce that Liam Lawson will join the Team in 2025. Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have demonstrated that he’s not only capable of delivering strong results but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top. 

“His arrival continues the Team’s long history of promoting from within the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and of course, Max Verstappen. 

“There’s 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’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”

This means Tsunoda, the other contender for the now-filled seat, will remain at Visa Cash App RB with his teammate yet to be announced. However, Isack Hadjar – Formula 2’s 2024 runner-up – is reportedly the favourite to replace the Red Bull-bound New Zealander. 

Read more Formula 1 here:

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon or our website!

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

CategoryFormula 1 Formula Series News

About the author

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Leave a Reply