Red Bull have named Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s new team mate for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The 22-year-old, who made his F1 debut last year and has started just 11 grands prix, will start his first full season at the team.Lawson replaces Sergio Perez, whose departure from the team after a four-year stint alongside Verstappen was announced yesterday. Verstappen’s new team mate will be his fifth since he joined Red Bull in 2016.
He said he had achieved “a lifelong dream” by joining Red Bull. “This is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old.”
Red Bull handed Lawson his F1 debut at their junior team, then known as AlphaTauri, in 2023 as a substitute for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. They then called Lawson back up to replace Ricciardo following this year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Team principal Christian Horner said Lawson’s performances in F1 so far “have demonstrated that 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 the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and of course, Max Verstappen.”
Verstappen comprehensively out-performed Perez and his two immediate predecessors, Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly. Horner admitted joining Verstappen will be “a daunting task” for Lawson, “but I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”
Lawson was chosen over his RB team mate Yuki Tsunoda, who will go into his fifth season with Red Bull’s second squad next year. His team mate for 2025 has not been announced, but the team is expected to promote Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar.
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Constantijn Blondel
19th December 2024, 9:20
Good Luck, Liam. I mean that sincerely, but I’m aware of the unavoidable sarcasm.
BasCB (@bascb)
20th December 2024, 12:45
I guess the good part is, nobody will expect him to beat Max much more than what we saw of Albon and Gasly, and Perez’ left enough of a damp squid feeling for the second car at RB that expectations won’t exactly be high for him.
I guess his target will be to qualify within about 0.5 seconds of Max, making it into almost all Q2 sessions and being a contender to get into Q3 regularly depending on the track (with Red Bull probably expecting to be about where they are now in the field for the next season too)
anon
19th December 2024, 9:21
Horrible decision. Lose to your teammate comprehensively and get promoted. #justiceforyuki
ben
19th December 2024, 9:26
Yawn
Cry more.
Ben
19th December 2024, 9:43
Bit harsh Ben!
To be honest Redbull were stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have nothing against either driver, but I don’t feel any are likely to come close to the drivers in the other top teams.
Yuki hasn’t stood out as much as I thought he would when he first joined RB. He’s been quick on occasion but can be snappy and somewhat unknown. That must be a big worry for RedBull as they want to protect Max at all cost. If he leaves they have no chance. He has more experience but I can see him struggling similar to Perez with the added pressures of expected podiums.
Lawson hasn’t really impressed me either if I’m being honest. It feels way too soon for the RedBull promotion for him. That can work as we’ve seen with Max, but I don’t think Lawson is another Verstappen although I’ll happily be proven wrong.
They have all the data and have clearly took the safest option for results, sponsorship, team harmony etc. Perez needed to go as he’s cost the team the constructors and that’ll hurt motivationally over the winter months. Lawson is their best shot of their available drivers. What is really sad to see is that they didn’t get Sainz, Hulkenberg or go crazy and try get Alonso. That tells me they want Max to be happy and give him someone he can beat every week.
notagrumpyfan
19th December 2024, 10:01
After diligently manoeuvring themselves into that decision, tying themselves up with chains and padlocks, and throwing away the keys.
But the upside from this dire situation is that ‘the only way is up’.
SteveP
19th December 2024, 10:39
Horner says the team delight in being “maverick” so don’t be so quick to say the only way is up.
What happens if Lawson finds the car suits his style?
Ben
19th December 2024, 11:09
Oh they 100% brought this on themselves. Max has been given god status within the team and with the huge losses they’ve already had they’ll be petrified of losing him. From the outside it looks like nothing more than poor management. Gasley was ok at RedBull but wasn’t given a fair shot and while I’m sure DTS exaggerated it the way he was treated wasn’t right. Albon was statistically closer on pace but unlucky to join at a time when RedBull weren’t dominant. They kept Perez way longer than they should have done. I think Ricciardo was done, but giving him 6 races to just see if being in the main team got his mojo back and giving him a propper send off wouldn’t have hurt.
Overall RedBull probably deserve some driver pain from how they’ve treated people in the past and how they’ve gone all in with Max. I wish Lawson the best, but looking at his performances and lack of experience in F1 I can see him matching Perez’s results next season.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
19th December 2024, 12:37
He’s been only selected because he showed no respect whatsoever when racing other drivers. He completely fits within the RBR culture of lack of respect towards their rivals. He will be valuable in terms of destroying Max rivals’ races, nothing more.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
19th December 2024, 16:37
he actually barked and raced Perez and let Max go by most of the time.
so he completely fits in. The best possible outcome for us fans is that RBR sucks hard next year and Liam gets treated like Perez so karma can have the last laugh.
David BR (@david-br)
19th December 2024, 16:37
@tifoso1989 That’s an astute observation, I hadn’t considered that factor.
sumedh
19th December 2024, 9:26
I think this might be a blessing in disguise for Yuki. His stock will rise if he defeats Hajdar (hopefully) and Verstappen wipes the floor with Lawson (Very likely). Yuki will then be seen as a reliable and decently fast driver for the many midfield teams (incl. Cadillac). He already attracted attention from Haas this year before RB locked him down.
I feel we could even see a Pierre – Yuki reunion at Alpine in 2026 or even mid-2025 depending on how Doohan performs.
sumedh
19th December 2024, 9:27
As for Lawson, I fear that this is likely to go the Gasly / Albon or worse Perez / De Vries way (out of F1 altogether).
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
19th December 2024, 9:35
I’m leaning this way also. This might not be ‘the big break’ for Liam. I really hope he finds his feet and is in there with the top six, but there’s a bit of a pile of bodies forming of Max’s teammates, who are all generally considered pretty decent. Alex and Pierre found new homes, and Checo might. But a Red Bull seat has been the ticket for success for only a select few, perhaps just two really.
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
19th December 2024, 10:10
Exactly, Lawson has shown that his racecraft still need refining despite showing good speed at times.
Yuki has shown good consistency lately.
So why throw the inexperienced driver in a team known for its lack of patience and not focus on building talent. And keep a stable driver in their development team, blocking young drivers to develop?
Yuki English and technical feedback might have been limited at first, but the language part definitely improved.
Looks like more driver troubles for RedBull coming soon.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 19:14
Remember that albon initially ended up without a seat after his horrible red bull period, he only made it back in f1 after.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th December 2024, 10:04
sumedh The only problem is that Cadillac won’t be Honda-powered, nor are Haas (despite the theoretical interest at one point) & Alpine, so Aston Martin is effectively his only longer-term option unless he stops his Honda affiliation altogether, which is unlikely.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
19th December 2024, 9:26
You have a fantastic opportunity, Liam. Good luck.
Jungle
19th December 2024, 11:06
Good luck to him too. He has shown some tenacity and has gotten under the skin of a few senior drivers.
Its a pressure cooker seat. Wish hime the best!
An Sionnach
19th December 2024, 16:28
Yes, he’s done well so far. Would have been nice to get more track time before this. I think he can do well. Pérez and Alonso were unreasonable in their reactions to him. Best of luck!
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
19th December 2024, 20:28
This is probably the best chance he has to beating or at least competing with Max. I think he might well win the mind games off track and we all know how Max goes on track when he’s unsettled (Hungary and Mexico anyone…?).
JOA20
19th December 2024, 9:33
It’s gonna be a tough test for Lawson, that’s for sure. Not expecting him to keep up with Verstappen at all, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a mid-season swap. Guess Hadjar will partner Tsunoda at Racing Bulls.
Davethechicken
19th December 2024, 9:33
The new wingman confirmed.
He has been bland in his F1 career so far, so only in Red Bull logic he should be placed in the best car on the grid!
Eddie Jordan seems bang on the money. Max wants teammates he can beat.
MG1982 (@mg1982)
19th December 2024, 12:01
Deep down inside, all of them want the same thing for sure.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 19:15
Well, the car won’t necessarily be the best on the grid, it’s not been overall this season, I would say 2nd, it’s only been the clear best for a few races, could even be called dominant for those.
Davethechicken
20th December 2024, 10:18
2025 is unknown
2021-2024 we disagree. Red Bull have had the dominant car, at times ludicrously so in all those seasons.
sim
19th December 2024, 9:36
Good luck to Lawson, be interesting to see how he fares against Max.
Davethechicken
19th December 2024, 9:43
He looks thoroughly ordinary so far. With the loaded dice policy inside Red Bull, that Marko recently was quoted on, I think it is a forgone conclusion.
Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
19th December 2024, 9:45
Such a shame that Perez is another victim of Max being the GOAT (let’s remember he was better than Hulkenberg, Ocon and Stroll when they were his respective team mates, so by extension Perez is also better than Magnussen and Gasly too) but I simply can’t wait to see excuses being thrown left, right and centre as to why Lawson is being destroyed by Max, who simply can’t be beaten over the whole season by anybody on the grid.
Peter707
19th December 2024, 9:48
Nooo!
Another prematurely promoted young talent on the Kvyat/Gasly/Albon track.
Jungle
19th December 2024, 11:03
I thought at the time is was way premature to drop Gasly when they did. He was really not given enough time. They wanted an instant cookie cut replacement for Ricciardo which just wasn’t going to happen over night or in just a handful of races. Same with Albon but at least they gave him more time. Ultimately the intensity had him jumping at shadows too…
They gave Perez 4 seasons and I don’t really think he was cutting it for the last 2. Interesting Horners comments about Sainz and Perez’s podiums when renewing his contract.
Dietrich is gone and Marko needs to move on too. He’s not Niki Lauda.
Horner needs to steady the ship!
Ben
19th December 2024, 11:14
Personally I think Horner needs to go. I can’t see one situation he’s managed well recently which has actually favoured RedBull.
He’s recently lost Newey which is arguably the biggest loss. His driver management has been dreadful – I’m guessing RedBull have the highest driver turn over in recent years. As you say, some drivers didn’t get a fair go and others got way too long. He’s completely blinded by Verstappen that he’s gone 100% in with him. If Max does decide to step away in 2026 after having a kid then RedBull are in a heap of trouble. That isn’t good team management.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
19th December 2024, 11:41
Unfortunately, Horner has no real say in the drivers.
He gives off the air of being the holistic team manager but we all know Marko runs the driver program with his iron fist and even though they keep denying it, the Verstappens (Sr. and Jr.) have a significant say in who sits in that second car.
Jungle
19th December 2024, 11:49
Since Dietrich passed Ben the team has been in conflict no doubt. Too many chiefs. He has Ford partnering up with them thats a plus. Pushed Porsche away. Just needs to stop thinking that young girls are interested in him…
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
19th December 2024, 9:57
I hope it works out well for them, to some degree. I’m not a Red Bull fan. But tbh, I cannot see Lawson being a regular podium visitor. I think the VCarb was a relatively straight forward car to drive whereas this year’s Red Bull was a handful. That may change of course.
It’s been well reported that the main Red Bull team does not want anyone close to the abilities of Max in the team. Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes can seem to cope with two near the top level drivers but not them.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
19th December 2024, 12:10
The “two roosters” model is not terribly successful in recent history. Nearly every world championship this century has been won by a driver in a team with a clear No.1 and No.2 (possible exceptions are 2007, 2009 and 2014-16). Red Bull are not exceptional in wanting a clear gap between their drivers.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th December 2024, 9:59
In hindsight, Liam should’ve simply been driving at VCARB for the entire 2024 season.
Btw, I already have an option for the image in case it gets chosen for the next Caption Competition post:
”So you’re going to be my next teammate?”
BasCB (@bascb)
20th December 2024, 12:47
Either that, or they should have called the shot after the first 2-3 races made it clear that Daniel was not on the cusp of a breakthrough back to his previous (2017-18) form.
BLS (@brightlampshade)
19th December 2024, 10:00
Well time will tell how this will work out. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be messy (and entirely self inflicted by RBR) – But, open mind/fresh start in 2025. Let’s see what happens.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th December 2024, 10:03
I wasn’t supposed to type the first phrase here, but oh well, on-topic anyway & here’s the relevant one for this article I initially intended:
So yesterday was reserved for Checo, today for Lawson, & Hadjar’s turn is tomorrow.
Jere (@jerejj)
19th December 2024, 10:03
I pressed ‘reply’ but somehow my second post got separated.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
19th December 2024, 10:05
I don’t rate Lawson.
Whether he is better than Perez is neither here nor there for me but Red Bull need to be looking at someone to replace Max in the long term. A promotion this early will do nothing for his confidence, and he’ll be under the same immense scrutiny that engulfed Gasly, Albon and Checo. All competent F1 drivers away from Red Bull, all hopeless in the big seat.
Red Bull have the luxury of a junior team for a reason, to evaluate up and coming talent. They’ve given this guy 2 short stints against a driver they know they don’t rate in Tsunoda – and he’s not performed exceptionally.
Looking a Lawson’s junior career – what has he actually won? Super Formula 2nd, DTM 2nd, F2 3rd, Euro formula 2nd, ADAC F4 2nd, Aus F4 2nd. Since 2017 he’s won the 2019 M2 Toyota Racing Series, and notable wins in F2 were all sprint reverse grids. In F1 he’s scored 6 points. I think we need to remember this is the most coveted seat in Grand Prix racing – I’m fine with Liam getting another year at Racing Bulls, but this is not the track record of a man who can beat, compete or even survive Verstappen. Red Bull have made some silly promotions in their time but this one really takes the biscuit.
Craig
19th December 2024, 12:51
I’m not sure Red Bull is capable of that sort of long term planning.
Dex
19th December 2024, 10:09
I guess we’ll see him in FE or Indy soon. He didn’t particularly impress in Torro… whatever they are now, and if he doesn’t do much better than Perez in the main team, who will want him? He didn’t really deserve this chance yet, and now his career is going to be decided in his first six months in the big league.
But I can understand why him and not Tsunoda, personality matters. What I can’t understand is such a big team having such a limited choice, in a season when so many drivers were potentially available. Oh, well… Sometimes they are too smart for their own good.
Martin (@f1hornet)
19th December 2024, 10:20
So strange to think that if Ricciardo doesn’t have that small crash in Zandvoort where he broke his hand, I don’t think Lawson becomes the Red Bull driver in 2025. It’s a sliding doors moment.
SteveP
19th December 2024, 10:49
Or…
DR gets the half season he was promised to showcase his talent level, is assessed before the beginning of 2024 and Lawson gets a full season in Cards R Us and is either found wanting, or too good to put alongside Max for fear of Seveso levels of toxicity.
Martin (@f1hornet)
19th December 2024, 11:53
True, that could have been how it played out. Although I wonder if VCARB could have hypothetically chosen a different second driver for 2024 instead of Lawson? Their bench was strangely small though.
Antz (@antznz)
19th December 2024, 10:23
None of us really know how this will go. Red Bull have the data and they seem confident, so I have a feeling it’s going to work out better than most predict.
Remember, Red Bull had previously dropped Albon from their junior program. There were personality conflicts with Gasly. Circumstances are different with Liam. Let’s wait and see?
Coventry Climax
19th December 2024, 10:45
I like that approach, @antznz
SteveP
19th December 2024, 10:51
and people wonder why putting Gasly in alongside Ocon didn’t work out…
Coventry Climax
19th December 2024, 11:03
And who was the teammate that Ocon actually got along with – throughout his entire career?
Saffa
19th December 2024, 16:36
There was no conflict between Gasly and Albon. Red Bull signed Perez late in the season and didn’t have a place for Albon because Honda wanted tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri. Red Bull didn’t drop Albon, they pushed him into DTM alongside gues who, Liam Lawson.
They were the only 2 Ferrari cars amongst mostly Mercedes and Aston Martins. Lawson came very close to winning the DTM championship that year with some really good drives and only lost the championship because all the Mercedes cars worked together against the 2 Ferraris so a Mercedes could win.
Up against alot of good drivers Lawson did an outstanding job and still continued to do solid performances up until now. So I’m expecting him to do well in the Red Bull.
Coventry Climax
19th December 2024, 10:39
Maybe most interesting will be to see how Red Bull themselves will handle this.
By Horner’s words, Lawson is to follow in the footsteps of Vettel and Verstappen, and those are some really huge shoes to fill for an 11 race experienced 22 year old. One can only hope Red Bull will recognise that.
Imagine being called with the message ‘You’ll drive for us next season’. That’s bound to cause some turmoil in his head.
“Can’t wait”, is how Lawson is quoted in other press. Well, to be honest, he shouldn’t either: I hope Red Bull gives him all the time possible in their simulator at the factory, and provide him with all assistance he might need, starting today. There’s little doubt he already starts on the backfoot, with insufficient preparation time and will need every bit he can possibly get, in any way and area imaginable.
Red Bull probably do realise this is a choice born out of poverty, not out of richness, but whether that also means they’ll give Lawson more room and time to grow is another matter.
It remains to be seen with what car they come for next year, and whose driving style it initially suits best. Maybe Lawson’s style comes closer to Verstappen’s than Tsunoda’s did? In the development process, all of his predecessors went under; let’s see how Lawson does there – and how Red Bull percieves it and deals with it.
All in all, I doubt he’ll initially be measured against Verstappen solely: he needs to do better than Perez did, which might not be too much to ask, if he manages to keep his head as level as he did thusfar – and if Red Bull give him sufficient time and assistance.
SteveP
19th December 2024, 12:58
From a slightly wicked perspective, it could be “interesting” if the car suits Lawson more than Verstappen – could be “trouble at t’ mill” :)
Mooa42
19th December 2024, 22:04
I believe Liam was the RedBull sim driver for 2024, until he replaced Dan, so he and RedBull have probably got a lot more insight than they would have had if he had been in the Minardi with Yuki all year.
I also think his and others expectations won’t be as high either, no one will expect him to seriously challenge Max for the next couple of years, all he really has to do is not get knocked out in Q1 and probably finish in the points. If he can achieve that then he’s already ahead of where Sergio was.
Sham (@sham)
19th December 2024, 11:00
That was a promising career you had there, Liam.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 20:18
IF he is a top driver, he will now get the chance to prove it, otherwise he’s just a midfield driver (which I think is more likely) and will not be able to perform at red bull.
If you’re a top driver there’s no reason to shy away from a red bull or top team seat.
Peter707
20th December 2024, 1:12
Top drivers are not born top drivers. With little experience, they only have the potential to be top drivers at best. And if they are put into a top team along with the best driver of the decade, they will inevitably struggle and fail, the sole exception being Hamilton in his rookie year (but even then he had much more favorable conditions to unfold his talent compared to the Red Bull dominated by a peak Verstappen).
Kribana (@krichelle)
19th December 2024, 11:03
I am interested to see if motivation is a factor here. Some drivers have a huge increase in motivation when the car is good, like Hamilton while some others just lose performance when the car is terrible. I think Red Bull should have given Tsunoda to test his performance-motivation with Red Bull. But time will tell, and maybe Red Bull saw that Lawson has tenacity to fit in the team that the other drivers lacked. Many drivers now are too conservative in their overtakes and fights, and we need drivers who are more aggressive in defending and overtaking, but not like Verstappen’s level of aggression.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 20:19
Verstappen’s level of aggression is fine, f1 lacked drivers like him for a while; if there were more like him, overtakes wouldn’t be easy even with DRS.
Harsha Vardhan
19th December 2024, 11:30
I think at this point, Red Bull will find in a situation, where they will find good drivers unwilling to join their team, in pursuit of one good driver, Red Bull have been destroying alot of drivers since their inception.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
19th December 2024, 11:36
Well, it should mix the 2025 field up. The midfield, anyway. Teams with experienced drivers like Williams, Aston Martin and Ferrari ought to have an advantage over the gaggle of spotty teenagers and F2 drivers. Or maybe they won’t.
Tough on Yuki, yet another year at Visa Application but at least it’s not sportscars for him yet.
Aquila_GD
19th December 2024, 11:58
Whatever happened to just putting the fatest drivers in the available cars?
Davethechicken
19th December 2024, 14:21
That could be calles NASCAR!
But I get what you mean, despite the typo and agree with you.
It isn’t how Red Bull go racing.
Aquila_GD
19th December 2024, 20:02
Lol…thanks for making me laugh. The fatest drivers are certainly in NASCAR.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 20:24
Wow, I didn’t even know that word, I thought it should’ve been “fattest”, and then I was like: I didn’t know indycar was like that! Didn’t know “fatest” existed, nor its meaning (not english).
But yes, I thought it’d have made more sense to promote tsunoda, he’s been there for a while, could’ve given him a make or break year or half-year and if he hadn’t been satisfying could’ve promoted lawson, who would’ve got a bit more experience by then.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
19th December 2024, 12:22
Really not sure what Lawson has done to deserve the promotion – the guy is yet to contest an entire F1 season and has been mostly ‘okay’ during the time we’ve seen him. To be honest his temperament seemed needlessly aggressive, seemed more interested in fighting Perez than actually getting a good result and has more stories about running his mouth than his ability on track.
Who knows maybe he’ll turn out to be great but I think he could have done with a VCARB year before stepping up. And for Tsunoda – who arguably deserved the promotion – I hope he finds success in another team that values his contributions as clearly Red Bull didn’t.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 20:26
If you think about it, great drivers don’t turn out “ok” in their first season, verstappen was already great at toro rosso, but this is probably what red bull want with their 2nd driver, someone like perez 2021.
Edvaldo
19th December 2024, 12:37
Tsunoda must be sooooo happy! He tested the car the other day and they praised his feedback.
And he better feel grateful for it, they must think, because that’s all he’s ever gonna get from the big team, he was never an option.
As for Lawson, he was unremarkable and did nothing to deserve the promotion. The first year he did a good job replacing a replacement driver. But this year, it was nothing special, it’s crystal clear he is not ready, but they rather go with him than take any risks with Tsunoda. And people still surprised they let Sainz pass. He was never an option, they want a driver to come home 2nd on his good days and that’s it.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 20:28
Guessing he must be disappointed indeed, but maybe he’s hoping lawson fails, which to be fair could happen, and he gets his chance next.
Sergey Martyn
19th December 2024, 13:49
What a… strange decision so to say.
Another year which may lead to at least a loss of another Constructor’s Championship failure (maybe even lower than 2024)…
Hope they will exchange him to Sainz after a couple of races :-)
Sergey Martyn
19th December 2024, 13:53
Dr. Marko’s decisions suggest that he’s already in the Biden’s league.
Sleepy Helmut?…
Sergey Martyn
19th December 2024, 14:27
https://media0.giphy.com/media/aAkNru67Hh40E/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952c0bqoijozq71daxs62ok855wf8c49ie8oj3b9eig&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g
AlexS
19th December 2024, 15:11
Good choice, he will be a positive surprise.
Honda
19th December 2024, 16:35
IMO Ricciardo would be a better wingman than Lawson. In 6races in 2023 Ricciardo scored 6pts. Lawson in 6races in 2024 scored 4pts. Lawson in 5races in 2023 scored 2pts. Assuming RB and Lawson performance he would likely also score 12pts in 18races which is what Ricciardo did in 2024. In qualifying both are lacking but at least Ricciardo has experience and knows the team well. Moreover he is friends with Max and I think would play number2 role considering he is at the latter stage of his career.
If Lawson is smart and knows his limitation he may survive but looking at his previous track record Max is likely going to smash him. I will be impressed if he can beat Max in 5quali out of 24. So 5-19 in quali and points wise it depends on various factors but 60% will be impressive I think. So if Max scores 350pts. Lawson 210pts
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 20:38
Very interesting numbers in this prediction, I look forward to seeing if you’re right, which I wouldn’t be surprised of, since I don’t rate lawson.
Dane
19th December 2024, 20:08
And the poisoned chalice passes to the next victim. I hope he takes a few wins before Red Bull throws him under the bus.
David B
19th December 2024, 20:13
Red Bull has seen the way Tsunoda acts the last couple of years. One volatile driver in Max is enough for one team. Yuki has got slightly better on that front but i’d hate having to deal with him. Also RB Visa whatever they’re called likely didn’t like the idea of losing their only experienced driver.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
19th December 2024, 20:13
I’m not surprised by this news but I still reckon it’s the wrong choice at this point in time. The last 2 rookies almost ended up out of the sport in no time after being paired with Max. Any decent driver with experience would be a better choice. Yuki, Bottas and Sainz were all options. I want to see Lawson have a long and successful career. Sending him to be Max’s teammate this early in his career may well compromise that…
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
19th December 2024, 20:42
Yes, I’m not too convinced by tsunoda personally, but definitely sainz and bottas would’ve been fine, it’s surprising they let them go to a backmarker team and out of f1 respectively instead of getting one of them.