Liam Lawson has stepped up to the senior Red Bull team for the 2025 season, replacing Sergio Perez after a tough 2024 campaign.

The Mexican struggled with consistency and pressure, leading the team to give the young New Zealander a chance. Although Lawson has shown promise in his short time in F1, stepping into one of the most demanding seats in the sport won’t be easy.  

He now faces the challenge of being teammates with four-time world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has dominated the sport with his skill and consistency, making him a tough act to follow. With only 11 races in F1 so far, Lawson will need to quickly adjust to the pressure of competing at the top level alongside one of the sport's all-time greats.  

On top of that, the second seat at Red Bull has a tough reputation. Since Daniel Ricciardo left in 2018, drivers like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez have struggled to keep up with the team’s high expectations. While all of them had good moments, they couldn’t deliver results consistently, and this has made the seat one of the hardest in F1.

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has already offered some advice to Lawson. He warned him not to focus on trying to beat Verstappen, as this mindset caused problems for Verstappen’s previous teammates. Instead, Marko suggested Lawson should focus on his own performance and support the team.

“Keeping in mind that within the team he is racing against what is currently the best Formula 1 driver and avoid what many other team-mates of Max have done, where they tried to find remedies in the technology, [that is] with some absurd set-ups and strategic plays,” Marko told RTL.

“You have to accept that he is the best and see how far you can get. But you can’t go in there thinking ‘I am going to beat him’. That went wrong with all his team-mates.”

He also believes that if Lawson can consistently stay within three-tenths of Verstappen in all conditions, it would provide a solid foundation to support the team’s championship ambitions.

“He should be within three-tenths of Max in both in qualifying and in the race,” Marko said. 

“That should be enough to get points for the Constructors’ Championship. He should also steadily increase his performance – if possible.”