Red Bull Chose Liam Lawson as Sergio Perez's Replacement for the Upcoming Season
A new chapter commenced at Red Bull this Thursday, as they declared Liam Lawson would substitute Sergio Perez the upcoming season.
Perez and the team decided to part ways midweek, following a disappointing performance.
Perez's performance deteriorated after he extended his contract for two more years in May and finished eighth in the championship, marking his worst performance since joining Red Bull in 2021.
Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, both drivers for Red Bull's sister team, RB, last year, were the primary contenders to replace Perez, with Lawson securing the position.
"Becoming a Red Bull Racing driver has been a lifelong ambition of mine since I was eight years old," Lawson shared.
"It's been an incredible journey so far. I am excited to work alongside Max and learn from a world champion. I have no doubt I will benefit from his wisdom and can't wait to get started."
Lawson now becomes Verstappen's fourth teammate since Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault at the end of the 2018 season.
Gasly lasted 12 races the following year before being replaced by Alex Albon, who was subsequently dropped for Perez ahead of the 2021 season.
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal, commended Lawson's performance with RB, saying, "Lawson's performances with RB demonstrated that he's not only capable of delivering strong results but that he's also a real racer, not afraid to compete against the best and emerge victorious."
"There's no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in Formula 1, is an intimidating task, but I am confident that Lawson can rise to the challenge and deliver exceptional results for us next year," Horner concluded.
Lawson's Journey to Formula 1
Lawson debuted in Formula 1 for Alpha Tauri, now rebranded as RB, in 2023, deputizing for Ricciardo for five races after the Australian suffered a broken hand at the Dutch Grand Prix.
He scored his first career point by finishing 10th in Singapore in just his third Grand Prix, before Ricciardo returned for the last four races of the season.
After serving as Red Bull's reserve driver for a year, Lawson was given the opportunity to challenge for Perez's spot when he substituted Nyck de Vries at RB in the summer of 2023.
His performance faltered the following season, leading to Lawson permanently replacing Ricciardo after the Singapore Grand Prix in October.
Lawson joined the Red Bull Programme in 2019 and conceded he was concerned about never securing a grid seat, despite impressing during his stint as Ricciardo's replacement in 2023.
"I knew they [Red Bull] wanted to give me a chance at some point – and I believed in that as well," he said before rejoining the grid in October.
"But it's difficult to be patient, given the time elapsed. As much as I believed it, it was becoming increasingly challenging.
"It was leaning towards this direction – not exactly where I was going to go, but that I was going to get a seat somewhere – that was the direction it was heading in for the past few weeks leading into Singapore."
The New Zealander scored points in two of his starts last season, finishing ninth in both the USA Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Lawson's performance in Austin, where he climbed from 19th into the points in his first race back in Formula 1, left an impressive impression on Horner.
Why Red Bull Chose Lawson Over Tsunoda
"I think he drove an exceptional race today," the Red Bull boss said at the time.
"He was fast, brave, and I thought it was an excellent comeback for him."
Tsunoda also scored points twice over the same period, finishing seventh in Brazil and ninth in Las Vegas.
Overall, Tsunoda outperformed Lawson in qualifying in all six weekends, clinching the head-to-head in races 4-2, with the New Zealander finishing ahead of his teammate in two of the three sprint races.
Multiple reports suggested throughout the season that Red Bull was not fully confident in Tsunoda, who is preparing for his fifth season with RB.
The Japanese ended the season in 12th place, marking his best return since making his Formula 1 debut back in 2021.
Red Bull is expected to replace Lawson with Isack Hadjar, the Formula Two championship runner-up.
Sergio Perez's replacement within Red Bull for the upcoming season will be Liam Lawson, as Perez and the team decided to part ways following a disappointing performance. Although Yuki Tsunoda, another Red Bull driver, also contended for Perez's spot, Lawson secured the position due to his impressive performances with Red Bull's sister team.
Despite Tsunoda's successful consecutive points scoring races in Brazil and Las Vegas, Red Bull's uncertainty in his performance led them to choose Lawson for Perez's seat.
