Liam Lawson to partner Max Verstappen as Yuki Tsunoda overlooked

Red Bull have chosen Liam Lawson to become Max Verstappen’s next F1 teammate.

Lawson has been promoted from Red Bull’s sister Racing Bulls team to take the seat vacated by Sergio Perez, whose departure was formally announced on Wednesday following a woeful season.

The 22-year-old New Zealander has only made 11 starts in F1. He contested six races at the end of 2024 after replacing Daniel Ricciardo, and filled in for the injured Australian at five rounds during 2023, debuting at the Dutch Grand Prix when Ricciardo broke his hand in a practice crash. 

Lawson scored points in his first outing this year in the United States and also finished in the top-10 in Brazil. He is believed to have been informed he would be promoted before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old," Lawson said. 

"It’s been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step. I also want to thank, Christian, Helmut and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.

"I am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going!”

Red Bull have ultimately determined that Lawson is the best candidate to face the daunting challenge of going up against four-time world champion Verstappen.

Lawson will become Verstappen’s fifth Red Bull teammate, following Ricciardo (2016-18), Pierre Gasly (2019), Alex Albon (2019-20) and Perez (2021-24).

The job is viewed as the hardest in F1 and something of a poisoned chalice, given that Perez is the third driver to have been dropped by Red Bull for failing to get close enough to Verstappen. The same fate befell Gasly and Albon.

Lawson will be expected to better the results managed by Perez after the 34-year-old Mexican’s poor form resulted in Red Bull slipping to third place in the constructors’ championship.

"Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls 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," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. 

"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. 

"There’s no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task, but I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”

Red Bull overlook Yuki Tsunoda

Lawson has got the nod over Yuki Tsunoda despite being outqualified by his Racing Bulls teammate during their six outings together in 2024.

The news is a blow to Tsunoda, who feels ready for the step up to the senior squad and has grown increasingly frustrated at being continually snubbed by Red Bull’s management.

Tsunoda was convinced he had impressed Red Bull with his technical feedback in his first F1 test with the team in Abu Dhabi.

“I heard a lot about how impressed they were, particularly with my feedback," he said. 

“This came not only from the trackside engineers but also from the engineers supporting remotely from Red Bull’s factory in Milton Keynes. They mentioned how impressed they were with my input.

“That area was a key target for me. I believe Red Bull already understands that my speed isn’t much of an issue. Instead, what they’re more focused on is things like my feedback, my behaviour within the team, and how I conduct myself in the car. They probably saw those areas as the biggest unknowns.

“So while keeping that in mind, I continued to provide feedback as I always have, aiming to communicate as thoroughly and with as much detail as possible.”

The 24-year-old Japanese driver will instead spend a fifth season at Red Bull’s sister team, where he is expected to be joined by Frenchman Isack Hadjar, who finished runner-up in this year’s Formula 2 championship.