Christian Horner acknowledges the risks of promoting Liam Lawson, raising questions about avoiding past struggles seen with Albon and Gasly.
Has Red Bull promoted Liam Lawson too soon? Will the New Zealander be ready to face the towering figure of Max Verstappen in 2025? Could he risk burning out, just as Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly did before him?
Christian Horner, the boss at Milton Keynes, is well aware of the dangers of a repeat Albon scenario. He admits it openly, but as expected, he also explains why he believes Liam Lawson won’t meet the same fate.
“Look, the danger of such a situation repeating itself is real, yes.”
“But I think Liam is a different character. He has a distinct personality that allows him to handle this pressure. I believe he has shown genuine resilience and strength of character with the opportunity he’s had to step up, deliver, and perform — and he’s done exactly that.”
Always candid, Christian Horner concedes that Lawson’s promotion has come earlier than originally planned, leaving him with one less season to prepare.
“The initial plan wasn’t for this to happen so quickly. Circumstances dictated it, with Checo unfortunately having a less-than-stellar season — so things were accelerated. But we believe that, given the trajectory Liam is on, it can only get better from here.”
Another critical point: Lawson’s driving style is said to closely resemble that of Max Verstappen.
“And he drives the car in a similar way to Max. He’s not afraid of having a very aggressive front end in the car. So, in terms of driving characteristics, it will be easier for the cars to operate with setups that are closer to each other.”
“I think another factor we are focusing heavily on is ensuring we create a broader operating window with the RB21 than the very narrow, sharp performance window of the RB20. For us, creating that broader window should, hopefully, help Liam find a car that’s perhaps more forgiving than what the RB20 could sometimes be.”
With the Lawson-Verstappen pairing, there’s no mystery about who the team’s number one is. Christian Horner embraces a different strategy compared to Ferrari (Charles Leclerc-Lewis Hamilton) or McLaren F1 (Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri).
“Daniel and Max were a strong pairing,” he recalls. “Then we had two juniors who struggled. That’s why Checo obviously got the seat for the 2021 season and handled the associated pressures well.”
“One of the things we’ll focus on is shielding Liam from expectations. Of course, when Alex and Pierre were in the team, Max wasn’t a four-time world champion. He hadn’t yet won a world championship at that time. We have a very clear positioning within the team with where Max is in his career and what we need from the second driver.”
Horner never considered Bottas
Another option for Red Bull could have been to sign a more experienced driver, such as Valtteri Bottas. The Finn was out of contract, so why didn’t Christian Horner take the chance?
“Was Bottas ever an option for Red Bull Racing? I think what we really focused on, once again, was utilizing the junior team, investing in young talent, and giving these young drivers an opportunity,” explains Christian Horner.
“So, Liam (Lawson) was a product of the junior program, just like Max (Verstappen) and, before him, Sebastian Vettel. What excites us are some of the young talents in this program. Isack Hadjar, who has progressed, and Arvid Lindblad, another talent who is definitely worth keeping an eye on over the next 12 months.”
- Discover More>Magnussen’s F1 Farewell: A Career Without Regrets?
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates.
Lawson’s Promotion: A Bold Gamble or a Familiar Mistake? Lawson’s Promotion: A Bold Gamble or a Familiar Mistake?
