Liam Lawson told to prove ‘mental strength’ against Max Verstappen at Red Bull

1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Liam Lawson will need to prove he’s “mentally strong” when he goes up against Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025.

After just 11 races in F1, Lawson was chosen as Sergio Perez’s replacement at Red Bull.

This means Lawson has the most challenging task in F1, going up against Verstappen on the same team.

Verstappen has dismantled Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez in recent years, with Lawson next in line.

With limited F1 experience and Red Bull slipping down the pecking order at the end of last year, Lawson will have an even tougher task in 2025.

Speaking to Action Network, Villeneuve said: “It’s a big chance for Liam Lawson, it’s a big opportunity, but we’ve seen drivers being put into the main team right away collapse very quickly.

“So, we’ll see how mentally strong he is and how good he really is, because we don’t know yet. I mean, you cannot take his F2 season, his Japanese season or his races against Tsunoda as a benchmark.

“Contractually Lawson is there to help Verstappen. But in his own head he’s not. In his head he’s there to replace Max. So, he will try to be tough and quick.

“Hopefully it will put Max under pressure and push Max to drive even better and this way help the team to make progress.”

Villeneuve sets Lawson target for 2025

Red Bull will need Lawson to be a significant upgrade on his predecessor.

Perez’s poor run of form meant Red Bull dropped to third in the F1 constructors’ championship - their worst finish since 2019.

Villeneuve thinks Lawson should aim to be one or two places behind Verstappen in 2025.

“If it’s not a winning car, so they’re not winning the championship, in which case you would have to say, has to be P2 or nothing, then a good finish for Lawson would be one place behind Verstappen or two places behind him, that’s it,” he added.

“Not anything more. If you’re winning races, you make a big points tally. Because first to second is a big difference. If you're finishing third, fourth, fifth, the point difference is tiny.”