With only 7 weeks left before lights out in Melbourne, eyes are setting back on the 2025 drivers lineup, especially the rookie drivers. Liam Lawson is not technically a rookie, having replaced Daniel Ricciardo in VCARB in 2023 after his injury, and in 2024 after being ousted of the team. However, Lawson will drive alongside Max Verstappen in the coveted RedBull seat, replacing Checo Perez this season
A Journey Built on Sacrifice.
Lawson’s road to F1 wasn’t straightforward, his family had to sacrifice his home to finance his early karting years. His immense consistency and solid performance got him the opportunity to join RedBull’s driver academy. He spoke about his family’s sacrifice, saying: “I was lucky that they never put any pressure on me. I knew what they gave up for me, but I guess in a way I didn’t as well when I was younger, because it was ‘if you want to do this thing, we’ll support you a hundred percent’ and let’s go for it'”
“And I think it’s only really recently that I’ve, you know, looking back and realized actually what they’ve, what they’ve given up and, and maybe there’s some almost pressure there to, to be able to succeed, you know, to be able to almost pay them back for what they’ve done for me. “
And I’m lucky that they’ve never put that over my head or anything like that, that it’s, it’s always just been, um, to, to support me. So yeah, it’s obviously crazy to be in this position.
A New Challenge
Lawson is fairly familiar with RedBull, having spent the bulk of his motorsport career in the team. However, driving for the main team requires a special balance.
At RedBull, performance is expected instantly and patience is scarce. Lawson’s primary focus will be that of a supporting driver as the squad is fully focused on Verstappen’s pursuit of a fifth championship. But even remaining in Verstappen’s shadow won’t ensure his spot on the squad for the long run.
He spoke about his focus next season when he visited RedBull’s Factory, adding: “Obviously, it’s not a new team for me because I’ve been here for quite a few years as a junior and then being reserve.
A new chapter
“So it’s just cool to see everybody that I’ve been working with for a few years, and now to be an official driver, that’s exciting, being with everybody”
Lawson explained further his motives in an interview for RedBull’s podcast: “As Formula One drivers, we all have one, one goal that we share and that’s winning a world championship.”
“That is my goal. And that’s been my goal since I was a kid, um, and wanted to be a Formula One driver. And obviously now I’m in a, I’m in a great position, so it’s definitely not what I expect coming in.
I don’t expect to come in and go straight away and win a world championship. Um, I know that, you know, the team’s goal is, is obviously the constructors and that’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to help achieve that. For me, it’s trying to be in a competitive position as quickly as possible. Obviously I’ve got the best guy as my teammate to learn from.”
“Since I was, um, yeah, even, even when I was in super formula and other, other categories, I think Max is somebody that just loves motorsport and watches a lot of it.
And, he’s somebody that has always been kind and supportive when I came in last year as a reserve. Um, you know, when I was obviously feeling a lot of pressure in Zandvoort, he was somebody that was really good to talk to, it’s cool to, to go up against him and have him as a teammate.There’s nobody better to learn from. for me, coming in, trying to, to be competitive as quickly as possible.”
