Last week Red Bull confirmed that Liam Lawson will join the team in 2025 as Max Verstappen’s teammate, replacing Sergio Perez after a challenging season for the Mexican driver.

Despite having only 11 Formula 1 starts with Red Bull's sister team, Racing Bulls (former AlphaTauri), Lawson impressed with his mental resilience and a driving style similar to Verstappen’s.

The decision to give the seat to Lawson instead of more experienced Yuki Tsunoda, who has been with the team for 4 years, was primarily based on Lawson’s potential and his strong mental resilience, which the team believes will help them in the future.

However, Lawson will need to prove himself capable of handling the intense pressure and expectations that come with being Max Verstappen’s teammate, a role that has previously been too much for drivers such as Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.

Team principal Christian Horner acknowledged the risks of promoting a driver with limited experience, noting the challenges faced by Gasly and Albon when placed in similar situations. While Lawson’s adaptability and mental strength are seen as key assets, Horner admitted that stepping up to Red Bull can be a daunting task.

“Look, the danger is there’s a repeat of that,” said Horner quoted by The Race.

“But I think that Liam is a different character. He’s a different personality to be able to deal with that pressure. 

“I think he’s shown real resilience and strength of character with the opportunity that’s been provided to have to turn up and get on with it and deliver – and he’s done that.”

He has also acknowledged that Lawson's promotion to the main Red Bull team at this point was unexpected, but it was a response to Perez’s situation becoming untenable.

“The plan initially wasn’t for that to be accelerated for this year,” Horner explained.

“Circumstances have dictated with Checo unfortunately not having a great season – that has been accelerated.

“But we believe where Liam is on the trajectory that he’s on, that will only improve.

“And he drives the car in a similar fashion to Max. He doesn’t shy away from having a very positive front end in the car.

“So I think in terms of driving characteristic, it will be easier for the cars to run more closely together in set-up.”