Delving into his emotions and preparation, 2025 Red Bull Racing driver Liam Lawson admits the news has not quite sunk in yet as he prepares for his first full season in Formula 1.
Following today’s announcement that Liam Lawson will race alongside Max Verstappen for next season, the New Zealander breaks down the emotions of achieving his dream. Reflecting on a whirlwind year, Lawson admits that just 6 months ago his career trajectory was unclear.
Having signed for the Red Bull Junior team in 2019, a stint as reserve driver allowed Lawson to fill in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo in 2023. Lawson credits these performances as a key factor leading to his signing for Red Bull Racing in 2025.
A surreal feeling
“Obviously, it’s been my dream since I was a kid,” said Lawson, speaking with Speedcafe. “I mean, it still honestly doesn’t feel real. It’s very exciting, and it will sink in, obviously. But right now, I’m just so excited. It’s very surreal. I’ve come here, you know, we’re obviously in Red Bull right now. You can see the cars behind me.
“I’ve come here to the main factory across the street for six years now as a junior, coming into the factory, looking at the trophies, working with the team, and always imagining what that would be like to be a main driver for this team. Honestly, when I think about it now, it obviously hasn’t quite hit home yet. So yeah, I’m just so excited.”
2023 performances opened up this opportunity
Reflecting on the previous year, Lawson said he doesn’t believe Red Bull had considered his before his AlphaTauri stint in 2023 when he replaced the injured Daniel Ricciardo. While he showed his clear excitement at today’s news, he admitted it was an unexpected call.
“Obviously, I got the opportunity last year to do those races. And really, that set up my opportunity of coming into Formula One, because I don’t really think I was being heavily considered before that. So that was a great opportunity for me.
“Then this year, stepping back into reserve, even six months ago, when I was reserved, not knowing where I was going to be, not having a full-time seat, not knowing if I was going to get a full-time seat. And so now, six months later, coming into the main team, it’s not what I expected. It’s just very, very exciting.”
The pain of sitting on the sidelines
Lawson was asked of the difficulties of sitting on the sidelines holding the position of reserve driver. He says the most difficult time was following his stint in 2023, and taking a step back down into the reserve role. He described how he felt watching, after already experiencing the adrenaline of a Formula 1 weekend.
“The reserve position before F1,” Lawson replied. “It wasn’t that tough because at that point, I never knew what it was like to be in F1. I would watch the sessions, I’d watch the guys climb into the car and talk to the engineers and do the grid warm-up laps, and that I’d never experienced.
“I always imagined what it would be like to be a Formula One driver. And then I got the chance to race in Zandvoort and I did those five races and had to step back.
“Stepping back and watching after that, that was really tough because I knew everything. I knew what it was like. Everything I was watching, I’d been there, I’d done it and sort of experienced and knew what it was like. That was really, really tough, honestly, as a driver to watch that, also not knowing if I was going to get that chance again.”
Learning like a rookie
When asked how his 11 races of experience will affect him next season, Lawson admitted he doesn’t feel fully prepared.
He went on to explain that, despite his race experience, he will be visiting tracks he is not familiar with, such as Shanghai. Lawson claims he will approach every race similarly to his previous starts.
“I’m going into my first full season next year. So although I’ve done a total of 11 races, you could look at that and say I’m not a rookie, because I’ve done nearly half the season in Formula 1 total, if you put it together. But obviously, I don’t feel like an experienced driver.
“I’m very realistic knowing that I’m going into next year. At the start of the year, I feel like a rookie. I’m going to tracks I’ve never been to before. It’s going to be a similar approach to the races I’ve just done, knowing that every session I’ve got to make the most of to try and learn and be ready for qualifying as quickly as possible.
“So you can look at it however you want to look at it. But I certainly don’t feel like a veteran, let’s say.”
Taking tips from Verstappen
When asked on his outlook of future teammate Verstappen, Lawson did not shy away from the subject. The young New Zealander sees the champion as an excellent driver to learn from. Despite his relative inexperience, Lawson did not seem intimidated by the proposition of driving alongside the Dutchman.
“I think there’s nobody better to learn from. There’s nobody better to go in as an opportunity to become the best driver I can become. There’s nobody better for me to go up against.
“I realised that, even as a reserve coming into Red Bull for the couple of years I spent with the Red Bull Racing Team as reserve, watching everything. As a reserve, you have a headset on in every single session, you’re in every single debrief, you’re doing the development and simulator work before the races, and you have access to absolutely everything.
“Watching how he operated and how he communicated with the team, how he drove the car, his mindset in and out of the car. That’s something that, for me, was very valuable. Now, I get to take that a step further and compare my stuff with his next year. So I think as much as he’s going to be the hardest guy to go up against, in a way, there’s nobody better to learn from.”
Staying realistic with his initial goals against the four-time F1 World Champion
While it is clear Lawson feels ready to be Max Verstappen’s teammate, the Kiwi is fully aware of how hard it will be to defeat the four-time defending World Drivers’ Champion. His goals for next year are realistic.
Although Verstappen is going for a fifth successive title next season, Red Bull has only won two of the last four titles on the Constructors’ side. Lawson has a key role to play there.
“Personally, I feel ready for it. That’s not to say I don’t expect to go in there and start winning races and beat the guy straight away. That’s not obviously my expectation.
“I know the team goal next year is to be fighting for the Constructors’ [Championship], and if we’re in a position to be doing that, then I’m doing my job as well.
“But, obviously, personally, long term, I have a goal of winning World Championships in Formula One and being the best, and that’s what I’ll be trying to achieve as quickly as possible.
“And I think being alongside Max is a great person to go up against, to be able to learn from, and to hopefully achieve that in the future.”
