Christian Horner addresses looming pressure on Liam Lawson

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has stressed the importance of not putting pressure on Liam Lawson ahead of his first F1 race with the team.

Lawson, who has just 11 races to his name in F1, has the daunting task of going up against Max Verstappen in 2025.

The Kiwi failed to out-qualify Yuki Tsunoda in their six races as teammates in 2024, although the margin between the pair was often less than a tenth of a second.

Lawson’s main task will be to perform better than his predecessor, Sergio Perez, whose form meant that Red Bull dropped to third in the 2024 F1 constructors’ standings, finishing behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Speaking to TikTok creator Lissie Mackintosh at the Autosport Awards, Horner gave an update on how Lawson is getting on during his early weeks at Red Bull.

“We’ve tried very hard not to put pressure on him so far and he’s basically easing his way in,” Horner said.

“He’s in the US at the moment. He will be back in the simulator again next week.

“So he’s doing a decent job and we’re just trying to ease him in quite gently.”

“Hardest job in F1” for Lawson in 2025

Lawson’s fast-tracked promotion to Red Bull is reminiscent of Alex Albon’s.

Albon was promoted mid-way through his rookie season in 2019, taking over from Pierre Gasly.

While Albon performed well initially, he struggled during his full season with the team and was whitewashed by Verstappen in qualifying.

Albon was dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2020, paving the way for Perez to join the team.

Speaking of Lawson at a Ford event, Horner feels his new driver has the “determination and skill” to cope with going up against Verstappen.

“It’s great to have Liam with us this year,” Horner added.

“Being Max Verstappen’s teammate is probably the hardest job in Formula 1. But in Liam, I think we have got a driver who is incredibly talented.

“He is a young guy, just making his way in the sport, and I think that he has the skill, the determination and the mentality to cope with it. I mean, it looks like he should be in a boy band…”