Despite being thrown into the deep end mid-season, Liam Lawson is putting together a series of strong performances for VCARB. Red Bull are pleased with his progress so far, with the team seeing Lawson as a realistic option to partner Max Verstappen next season.
Lawson continues to impress Red Bull decision-makers
Even before Lawson made his F1 comeback in COTA, Red Bull spoke about his abilities in glowing terms.
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko were transparent about their hopes that the Kiwi could become a legitimate contender for promotion in 2025.
Red Bull set Lawson the target of matching Yuki Tsunoda when they handed him a VCARB seat last month.
Considering Lawson’s relatively limited experience, the reigning Champions would consider his F1 comeback a success if he can match his teammate.
At least so far, they seem satisfied with his performances.
Over the last few Grand Prix, Red Bull have been far more eager to praise the 22-year-old than his Japanese teammate – even when Tsunoda performs well.
Perez struggles create an opportunity at Red Bull
Last weekend’s Brazilian GP was a reminder of the perfect conditions that could facilitate a Liam Lawson promotion.
Not only did Sergio Perez struggle, but Christian Horner was eager to praise Lawson’s efforts before speaking about Tsunoda – despite the #22 car fighting for a top 3 spot throughout Sunday’s action.
The Red Bull team principal reflected on the efforts of his drivers at Interlagos:
“It was a difficult race for Checo, spinning at the beginning of the race dropped him down,” he told the media.
“Today was an opportunity in the constructors to take a big chunk out of Ferrari and McLaren.
“Unfortunately we’ve not been able to capitalise on that, so that’s obviously frustrating.
“But we’ll go away and have a look at it, and come back fighting hard in Vegas…
“Sergio Perez is our current driver.
“Liam Lawson did a super job today, and Yuki [Tsunoda]. Liam particularly, considering his experience.”
To be clear, Lawson is not the only driver under consideration.
Franco Colapinto, despite his multi-year contract with Williams, is still highly regarded at Red Bull. Christian Horner has spoken openly about probing the Argentine’s availability in 2025 and beyond.
Because of this, it would be premature to make any predictions about Red Bull’s 2025 line-up. Even their second team, VCARB, could see someone like Isack Hadjar make a surprise debut.
Still, as Red Bull continue to evaluate their options, Lawson remains a leading contender.
