Lawson nabs Perez’s F1 seat
Oracle Red Bull Racing has announced Liam Lawson will complete the team’s driver line-up for the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship.
He is moving across from Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARBS) to partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
“To be announced as an Red Bull Racing driver is a lifelong dream for me,” says Lawson. “This is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old. It’s been an incredible journey so far.
“I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support. The last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step.
“I also want to thank, Christian, Helmut Marko and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.
“I’m super-excited to work alongside Max and learn from a world champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going.”
Christian Horner, team principal and chief executive officer of Oracle Red Bull Racing, says: “I’m delighted to announce Liam will join the team in 2025.
“His performances over his two stints with Racing Bulls have demonstrated he’s not only capable of delivering strong results but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top.
“His arrival continues the team’s long history of promoting from within our junior programme. He follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Max.
“There’s no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task. But I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”
The Kiwi joined Red Bull’s junior programme in 2019 and, after multiple junior formula successes, he stepped up to finish second overall in the 2021 DTM series for Red Bull AF Corse.
Lawson made his F1 debut with Scuderia AlphaTauri at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix in place of the injured Daniel Ricciardo.
He scored his first championship points in just his second outing at the Singapore GP and completed five races in all for the team.
After taking up his reserve-driver role with both teams at the start of 2024, Lawson returned to grand prix racing with Racing Bulls with a points-scoring finish at this year’s race in the US.
The 22-year-old completed the season alongside Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, and now takes the next step in his career by replacing Sergio Pérez.
The Mexican helped the team to second in the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship, then constructors’ titles in 2022 and 2023 before a third place in 2024. He also secured second in the 2023 drivers’ title race behind Verstappen and third in 2022.
After starting in karts aged six, Lawson has enjoyed a remarkable run of success on his way up the ladder to the sport’s pinnacle, winning races in Super Formula in Japan, and Formula 2, 3 and 4.
He first caught Red Bull’s attention when he won the Toyota Racing Series, now the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, in New Zealand when he was 16.
“It’s all very exciting,” Lawson grins. “I still can’t really believe it but I’m just excited. I’ve never really had a face that hurts just from smiling. I have time to really let it sink in, spend the time, do the prep and come back strong and ready.”
The first person he called to share the happy news with was his father back home. “He’s been a massive influence on me as a person growing up and he was emotional. I’ve never really seen him like that, which was quite cool.
“He’s a big person who influenced me as a kid. Not that he raced, but letting me believe as a kid that I could do anything if I believed in it enough and worked hard enough for it. I’ve carried that forward, all the way through.”
The Hastings native, who is now based in Pukekohe, south of Auckland, says his parents and siblings have given up a lot to enable his dream, including selling the family home so he could keep racing.
“I was eight years old and I used to play as Mark Webber so that I could race against Sebastian Vettel and try to beat him. Since then, I’ve always dreamed of being a Red Bull driver so it’s crazy, honestly.”
Watch Sky Sports’ 15-minute interview with Lawson.
