On Wednesday, after months of speculation, Red Bull announced that the team decided to part ways with Sergio Perez.

The Mexican, who joined Red Bull in 2021, had some big moments, including helping the team win the 2022 constructors' championship. However, his form dropped this season, and he struggled to match Max Verstappen, leading Red Bull to move on. 

The next day, Red Bull confirmed that Liam Lawson will become Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2025, edging out Yuki Tsunoda, who had been considered for the role as well.

The New Zealander has only 11 races under his belt but impressed the team with his performances. He first got attention last season when he filled in for Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri after Ricciardo injured his hand. This year, he then became a full-time driver after the Singapore Grand Prix, scoring points twice and proving his talent.  

While Tsunoda, who has been with the team for 4 years, was seen as the one to deserve the seat more and even tested for Red Bull at the post-season outing in Abu Dhabi, the team ultimately chose Lawson.

Despite many finding the decision illogical, team principal Christian Horner explained that Lawson’s quick progress and ability to handle pressure were key reasons for the choice.

"It was very, very tight between the two of them," Horner told ESPN.

"I mean, Yuki is a very fast driver. He's got three or four seasons of experience now. He did a very good job in the tyre test for us in Abu Dhabi where the engineers were impressed with how he performed.

"With Liam, when you look and go into the analytics of his race, pace was slightly better in the races that he did. His qualifying pace was very tight with Yuki, and you've got to assume that the potential with Liam having only done 11 grand prix, is he's only going to get better and stronger. He's shown real mental resilience and toughness."

He continued: "A couple of things have stood out with me with Liam - how versatile he is.

"You put him into a situation, he gets on with it. If you remember his debut in Zandvoort after Daniel broke his fingers, he was racing against Max on his out lap.

"He's got that kind of gritty racer mentality. He did a year in the DTM where he adjusted to driving a Ferrari GT car incredibly quickly alongside Alex Albon and generally had the upper hand. And again, his racecraft has been really one of his key strengths. So he's not afraid to go wheel-to-wheel and even rub wheels where necessary.

"So I think he's going to do a great job for us. The engineers have enjoyed working with him through the running that he's done this year. He's got a good work ethic as well."