Since Max Verstappen started dominating in that Red Bull car, it’s been an uphill task for the team to find him a suitable teammate. Times were much simpler when both Daniel Riccardo and Verstappen were struggling. But with Max’s rise and Riccardo leaving, Red Bull tried many in the number 2 position, be it Alex Albon or Pierre Gasly, but both succumbed under pressure.

But then came Sergio Perez: ‘the perfect teammate.’ At least he was until a few races in this season went by. The consistency, the pace, the skill all seemed to have vanished. Thanks to little, to no contribution from Perez, Red Bull finished 3rd in the Constructor’s championship. And there was only so much that team principal Christian Horner could take. He’s made another change behind the wheel of that car. Well, the question is what guarantees he wouldn’t fare like his predecessors? Even Christian Horner doesn’t have a straight answer for this.

Is Liam Lawson the correct move?

After the checkered flag was raised in Abu Dhabi, McLaren fans celebrated as their team won the constructor’s championship. But for Red Bull, even though Max Verstappen was the champion, it felt like a loss. As a team, Red Bull had failed, and Perez, who watched from the sidelines after an early DNF, knew his time with the team was coming to an end.

The season for the Spaniard ended winless, with only four podiums and an 8th-place finish. By Red Bull standards, this means it’s time for you to go. And that’s what happened. Youngster Liam Lawson will be replacing him next season. That’s a big leap for RB’s B team driver who’s only made 11 starts so far in Formula One. And even Horner knows the gamble can fall flat on their faces. In a recent interview with RACER, he said, “Look, the danger is there’s a repeat of that.”

But he believes that Lawson is different from the drivers that came before him on that seat. “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.”

If there is any truth to Horner’s words, Lawson should manage. Being in that Red Bull seat is more about being able to deal with that pressure than the skill of driving. If you are in F1, that means you have displayed skill. So if Lawson deals with all the eyeballs that will be on him, minutely analyzing his every mistake, congrats to Red Bull, they have found a worthy number two driver.

While no one in the F1 world expected this change, including RB, who thought Sergio Perez would continue being the perfect teammate. However, they were caught off guard and made this impulsive change. Yet Horner seems confident about his decision.

Christian Horner believes in Liam Lawson

Many expected Perez to exit from Red Bull after the disappointing season, but Yuki Tsunoda seemed like a logical promotion with 90 starts under his belt. But the team is rather going with a less experienced option. Lawson, in his 11 races, has managed thrice to finish in the 9th position and the highest he’s ever qualified is 5th. The only logical argument is that in top-class equipment, he’ll probably do better.

And Horner believes he’s similar to Max Verstappen in approaching a race, “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 characteristics, it will be easier for the cars to run more closely together in set-up.”

But with no proven track record yet, no one is echoing Horner’s beliefs in Lawson. At least the fans aren’t. They believe he’s on the same path as Gasly and Albon. And that would not end well for Lawson. Horner putting so much pressure on Lawson now might ruin his chances of being a great driver a few years down the line. If he fails on the big stage in 2025, he too might end up in a low-ranking team or might straight away be out of Formula One.

However, Horner believes it would be different for him than Gasly and Albon. One of the things Red Bull will be looking at is to “protect Liam from expectation.” Well, that’s hard to believe.

Horner also thinks that when Gasly and Albon were there, Max Verstappen wasn’t a four-time world champion. But now that he is there’d be less pressure on the team to perform. “We have a very clear positioning in the team with where Max is at in his career and what we need from the second driver,” he added.

Lawson is obviously delighted at the opportunity to join Red Bull. “Christian called me and gave me the classic one-liner: ‘Welcome to Red Bull Racing’. I couldn’t stop – my face hurt from smiling so much!” The Kiwi came into F1 in 2023 as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at the Dutch Grand Prix. His rise since then has been inspiring and the young driver looks to soak in as much as he can while teaming up with the four-time world champion. “I’m super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a world champion. I have no doubt I’ll gain a lot from his expertise, and I can’t wait to get started.”

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