Lawson admits doubts over Red Bull’s trustworthiness

Liam Lawson revealed moments of doubt in Red Bull’s commitment as he waited for the long-promised opportunity to race.

Liam Lawson reveals he sometimes lost hope that Red Bull and RB F1 would give him his chance, despite being promised several races as a full-time driver in 2024. The New Zealander admits he wondered if his opportunity would come and, if so, when it would arrive.

“I had faith. But obviously, it took a long time,” Lawson said. “There are points where, from one weekend to the next, things change very quickly depending on how the guys are performing.”

“There were moments where I perhaps didn’t fully trust or started to stress. But obviously, I wanted to trust the team to do what they said they would. And ultimately, that’s exactly what they did.”

During these months of waiting, Lawson experienced stressful and challenging moments, which he explained: “There were times throughout the year when things felt a bit different.”

“Honestly, I’d say it was at the beginning of the year that things were the hardest. I wasn’t doing much testing, and it was so early that discussions weren’t very frequent. They were much rarer. That’s probably when I struggled the most.”

“Then, as the year progressed, I started doing more tests. Conversations became, obviously, more frequent, and we got closer to that point, that date when the team would tell me. In that sense, it became easier, but as we approached the date, it also became stressful again.”

“And then, obviously, all the other seats are taken throughout the year. I was well aware that I wanted to have faith these guys would put me in the car, but if they didn’t, for whatever reason, all those other opportunities would also be gone.”

After three races, he has just as many left to prove himself for 2025, with one clear objective to demonstrate he is up to the task: “Performance. Obviously, the only car they can directly compare me to is Yuki’s, so I’ll essentially be measured against him, as you always are against your teammate.”

“Beyond that, it’s about scoring points. The team’s goal is sixth in the championship, and we’re fighting for that. So I suppose the expectation is for me to contribute to the championship battle. But yes, it’s essentially about performance. It’s the same as it’s always been, really.”