Gerhard Berger believes Red Bull should have chosen Sainz over Lawson, arguing the Spaniard would push Verstappen harder in 2025.
Berger, former head of Toro Rosso—now Racing Bulls—stated that he would have chosen Carlos Sainz over Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s new teammate at Red Bull for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
According to Berger, Sainz would have given Verstappen more of a challenge, pushing him further.
However, the Austrian backed Lawson, admitting that the New Zealander was not a “bad” choice to replace Sergio Perez.
“Verstappen is the best driver, without a doubt,” he said.
“There is probably no one who really challenges him. But I would have taken Carlos Sainz in any case. He needs a bit more competition.”
“Even though I don’t think it’s a bad thing that they put Lawson alongside Max, it might have been better for this young man to gain more experience at Racing Bulls first.”
Berger has known Lawson since his 2021 DTM season, when the New Zealander raced for Red Bull AF Corse and finished second in the championship, winning three races in 16 outings.
He beat Red Bull-backed Alex Albon, who finished sixth in the standings, nearly 100 points behind Lawson.
At the time, Berger was in charge of the German racing series and revealed that he had recommended Marko to promote Lawson to Formula 1.
“I already liked Lawson in DTM. He was faster and more aggressive than Albon, and Albon is doing a good job at Williams.”
“That’s why I recommended Helmut to take a look at him back then. I think Verstappen and Lawson can form a strong duo.”
- Discover More>Hamilton’s Ferrari Switch a Game-Changer, Predicts Bottas
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates
Red Bull Should Have Picked Sainz Over Lawson – Berger Red Bull Should Have Picked Sainz Over Lawson – Berger
