Liam Lawson does not expect to have major issues with adjusting to his 2025 Red Bull car. Lawson argues that regardless of driving style, he will adapt to whatever is presented to him.
Red Bull drivability not a concern for Liam Lawson
For over five years now, Max Verstappen’s teammates have failed to match his performance.
One of the main talking points when assessing the Dutchman’s counterparts is their driving styles.
Sergio Perez was extremely vocal this year about the RB20 not suiting his preferences. The Mexican driver argued this was the biggest reason for his poor results.
Whilst this explanation was insufficient in convincing Red Bull to keep Perez, it is still a relevant factor.
With less than a year of F1 under his belt, Liam Lawson must succeed where most have failed at Red Bull.
Aside from keeping up with Verstappen in terms of pace, the 22-year-old must ensure he feels comfortable enough in his car to push.
Should Lawson lack confidence – as many of his predecessors have – 2025 could become a very difficult campaign.
However, Lawson himself is completely unconcerned by this:
“In terms of driving styles, I don’t really know if I believe in it so much,” he told Planet F1.
“I think you have certain things you like a car to do.
“But I think also, for me, I spent a lot of time developing that car as well – as a junior and as a reserve for the last couple of years.
“And I feel like I understand quite well the way the car drives.
“But I also don’t fully believe in – ‘This doesn’t suit your driving style’.
“I think as drivers, we’re professionals. We have to adapt to whatever we’re driving.”
Lawson thrown into the deep end
In many ways, it is logical for Lawson to have a positive mindset heading into next year.
Joining any team, let alone Red Bull, and expecting to struggle is hardly an advisable approach.
With that said, the 22-year-old has been warned about managing his expectations.
Senior advisor Helmut Marko believes Liam Lawson “will have to accept” that Verstappen is faster.
In addition to this, the 81-year-old does not think Lawson should overly involve himself in set-up – something which has contributed to the struggles of previous teammates.
Whether the Kiwi will follow Marko’s advice is unclear – and will remain a mystery until pre-season testing and round one in Australia.
Still, there can be no question about Lawson’s belief in his own abilities. The newly announced Red Bull driver is not preparing his excuses in anticipation of a poor showing against the Dutchman.
Given his extremely accomplishments as a junior driver and in series like DTM and Super Formula, this is not necessarily a surprise. He is already a decorated driver in several categories.
Despite this, it is worth mentioning that Nyck de Vries had a similar level of confidence when he joined AlphaTauri in 2023.
Whilst the context is slightly different, the fact remains that De Vries spoke highly of his chances against Tsunoda before the season began – only for things to materialise very differently on track.
With this in mind, Lawson must navigate a fine line between backing himself and not raising expectations for 2025.
