Lawson was confirmed yesterday at Red Bull in place of Sergio Perez after the Mexican endured a horror F1 2024.
The New Zealander’s rise to one of the top seats on the F1 grid has been meteoric and comes just 11 races into his career at the sport’s pinnacle.
Five of those starts came in F1 2023, when he substituted for the injured Daniel Ricciardo from the Dutch Grand Prix, before replacing the Australian full time from this year’s United States GP.
Those opportunities came after an agonising time on the sidelines, wondering firstly if his chance to reach F1 had slipped him by, and then whether he’d ever get another chance.
But, when given the opportunity, the 22-year-old delivered.
He scored points for RB upon his return at Circuit of The Americas and proved a match for his vastly more experienced teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, through the final six races of the season.
As Perez struggled, it became a two-horse race between the RB pair, with Lawson emerging as the front-runner.
Speaking with Speedcafe for the KTM Summer Grill, Lawson acknowledged that, while he can scarcely believe he’s earned the drive, he knows he’s set to be pitted against one of the greatest drivers in F1.
Now a four-time world champion, Verstappen’s performances effectively ended the career of Perez.
The Dutchman also forced Ricciardo out of the team, while Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly both proved no match.
It’s now Lawson’s turn for what team boss Christian Horner has described as the toughest job in Formula 1.
“There’s nobody better to learn from,” Lawson said just shortly after learning of his Red Bull promotion.
“It’s an opportunity to become the best driver I can become. There’s nobody better for me to go up against.”
Lawson has first-hand knowledge of Verstappen’s qualities.
The New Zealander had been Red Bull’s reserve driver since 2022, sitting in on technical debriefs alongside the 63-time race winner, just as he did with Perez, Ricciardo, and Tsunoda.
It afforded him insight and an understanding of how the prolific Dutchman operated and what set him apart.
“As a reserve, you have a headset on in every single session, you’re in every single debrief, you’re doing the development, the simulator work before the races, and you have access to absolutely everything,” explained Lawson.
“Watching how he operated, and how he communicated with the team, how he drove the car, his mindset in and out of the car, that’s something that, to me, was very valuable.
“And now, obviously I get to take that a step further and compare my stuff with his next year.
“So I think as much as he’s the going to be the hardest guy to go up against, in a way, there’s nobody better to learn from.
“For me, it’s an extremely exciting opportunity.”
While an exciting prospect, competing against F1’s current benchmark performer in the same machinery is a challenge Lawson feels ready for. He’s a proven race winner in everything he’s competed in too, instilling a degree of measured confidence while understanding both the challenge that awaits him, and his role within the team.
“I feel ready for it,” Lawson insisted.
“I don’t expect to go in there and start winning races and best the guy straight away, that’s obviously not my expectation.
“I know the team goal next year is to be fighting for the constructors’ and if we’re in a position to do that, I’m doing my job.
“Obviously, personally, long-term I have a goal of winning world championships in Formula 1 and being the best and that’s what I’ll be
trying to achieve as quickly as possible,” he added.
“Being alongside Max, he’s a great person to go up against, to be able to learn from, and hopefully achieve that in future.”
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