The new face of Red Bull for 2025 will need to demonstrate all the qualities required to secure his position at Milton Keynes. Here’s former driver Johnny Herbert’s take on Lawson.
Among the new faces of the 2025 season is Liam Lawson, in what could be his first full season in Formula 1 as a main driver. The New Zealand driver—who stepped in when Daniel Ricciardo injured his wrist in 2023 and later replaced him completely after the Singapore Grand Prix in 2024—has been promoted to the main Red Bull team, taking the seat previously occupied by Sergio Perez. From the pre-season tests in Bahrain, scheduled for February 26-28, 2025, Lawson will face off against the four-time world champion, Max Verstappen.
Lawson’s transition from Racing Bulls to Christian Horner’s main team at Milton Keynes has particularly disappointed Yuki Tsunoda. After participating in post-season tests last December at Yas Marina with Red Bull, Tsunoda had briefly entertained the possibility of racing alongside Max Verstappen, but the team ultimately chose the young New Zealander.
Although the decision was somewhat expected, it has drawn various comments, including those from Johnny Herbert. The former Formula 1 driver and 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours winner shared his thoughts with Casinoutanspelpaus.io, emphasizing that the 2024 comparison between Lawson and Tsunoda didn’t showcase a clear dominance by either driver.
““I don’t think Liam Lawson has proven himself 100% worthy of the Red Bull seat because, in my old-school mindset, everything depends on how you perform against your teammates. During his time in RB, he didn’t overshadow Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda was always very quick in qualifying. He had his days. There was a good synergy between the two, I suppose. You had solid mutual support, and whichever way you looked at it, there wasn’t a weekend where one clearly outperformed the other. There was consistent backup between those two drivers,” Herbert said.
It’s well known that a Formula 1 driver’s primary rival is their teammate, against whom they must compete to stand out without jeopardizing the team’s overall performance in the Constructors’ Championship. Lawson will need to raise the bar to maintain his position at Milton Keynes, particularly in a season where Red Bull aims to recover from the losses of last year.
““The dominant force is always someone who can step into a team, lead it, and by leading that team, put themselves in the position Lawson finds himself in now, against Max. Max is one or two levels above someone like Tsunoda, for example. So now it’s all about how Lawson can go from the level he had in 2024 to a much stronger 2025 level, ” the former British driver continued. Additionally, Herbert shared his perspective on the scrutiny Lawson will face from his team, as well as from the media and fans, right from the start of the season.
Despite Herbert believes that Red Bull could have made a different choice, the 1991 Le Mans winner thinks the New Zealander has everything it takes to play his cards well: “Lawson has to come out strong from the beginning because as soon as Verstappen feels he has control of on-track activities and the speed he possesses, as well as when he starts delving into the details, Lawson will begin to struggle, and mental battles will come into play. Does he have the ingredients to race against Verstappen? I think so. But now we just have to see it, I suppose. You have to prove it. It’s always like that. You’re always under pressure to prove yourself. . Ma ora dobbiamo solo vederlo, suppongo. Devi dimostrarlo. È sempre così. Sei sempre sotto pressione per dimostrare “
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson.
