If Lawson rises to the challenge - will he replace Pérez

RB F1 expects Lawson “to perform as well as Tsunoda.”

16/10/2024

After shining last year while filling in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson returns to the RB F1 seat for the upcoming Grand Prix in Austin, this time as Ricciardo’s permanent replacement.

The young RB F1 driver arrives in Texas with a clear goal: to secure a full-time seat for 2025. Whether with RB F1 or, who knows, maybe even with Red Bull…

His priority? Scoring points. That’s the target set for him by Red Bull and Helmut Marko.

“Basically, they expect me to do at least as well as Yuki. I’d say that’s the team’s objective,” Lawson explained before Austin.

“They want me to be on his level and perform. They want points.”

“Obviously, the team is fighting for sixth place in the Constructors’ standings, and that’s pretty important for VCARB, so scoring points is the goal.”

“If we score points, then I think we’re doing a good job. Honestly, that’s the goal set. But we’re always being evaluated. It’s been that way since I joined Red Bull at 16, performance is always under scrutiny. So, it’s no different from how it’s always been.”

Lawson is focused on RB F1, though rumors already suggest he could replace Perez at Red Bull next year, with Perez struggling this season.

But Lawson insists: he’s thinking only about Faenza, not Milton Keynes! It’s clearly diplomatic language, particularly to avoid offending Perez’s camp.

“It’s not on my mind,” he assured when asked about a seat at Red Bull.

“But I’m obviously aware that being in Red Bull Racing’s second team, my future, if I do a good job, will be with them.”

“My goal is to move to Red Bull Racing in the future, and I know that, on their side, they’re also looking to build for the future, for when either Max or Checo [Perez] leaves one day.”

“So they always need drivers ready for that. I’m aware that if I do well, that’s where my future lies.”

“When it might happen isn’t something I really think about, because I know it will depend entirely on my performance in my current seat.”

The infamous 6 a.m. calls from Dr. Marko…

With only six races to prove his worth, the pressure is immense for the New Zealander. But Lawson, raised in the tough Marko school, says he’s ready to rise to the challenge.

‘Perform or perish’: Lawson is well acquainted with Red Bull’s philosophy.

“The hardest part is when you’re very young.”

“For me, when I was 16 and 17, my first year with Red Bull, it was a step up. Before, I was just with my close family from New Zealand who had helped me get to where I was. And then I had Red Bull Racing and Dr. Marko calling me and putting pressure on me.”

“That’s what I really struggled with.”

Asked about Marko’s methods, Lawson doesn’t hide that they sting!

“It’s usually a call at 6 a.m. or something like that! And he says, ‘You need to perform better. Next weekend, if you don’t do better, you’ll be in trouble.’”

“You know you basically have to win races. It’s quite common: if you haven’t had a good race, he’ll tell you, ‘If this keeps up, you might not have a future with this team.’”

If Lawson rises to the challenge, will he replace Pérez? If Lawson rises to the challenge, will he replace Pérez?

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Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
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21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
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21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
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22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
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23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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