Lawson promoted to replace Perez at Red Bull

Liam Lawson will step up to Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s team-mate in Formula 1 next year, it was announced on Thursday.

Just a day after the Milton Keynes-based squad revealed that a deal had been reached to part ways with Sergio Perez, it confirmed that it had elected to promote RB youngster Lawson.

The New Zealander arrives at Red Bull without a full season in F1 under his belt, having only partaken in two short stints for AlphaTauri/RB over the past two campaigns.

In 2023, he was drafted in as temporary replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, who broke his wrist in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix. Lawson took part in five races, with a best finish of ninth in Singapore.

This year he joined RB from the United States Grand Prix after the team split with Ricciardo, who had not delivered all that had been hoped for over the course of the season.

Lawson scored points from the off with ninth place in Austin, and finished in that position again in the Brazilian GP.

While the New Zealander was outqualified 7-2 by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda (6-0 without sprints), and scored fewer points during their time together, Red Bull felt that he offered more potential because of his technical feedback and mental attitude.

In particular, having robustly defended himself against Fernando Alonso at the United States Grand Prix, and got his elbows out against Perez at times, Lawson has convinced the team that he has the exact mindset needed to go up against someone as tough as Verstappen.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “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.

“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.”

Speaking about securing the Red Bull seat, Lawson said: “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.

“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 [Marko] 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!”

RB has not yet announced who will replace Lawson, but it is expected to be junior driver Isack Hadjar, who fought for the F2 championship this year.