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Lawson takes on Verstappen: 'I'm not coming to just lose'
Liam Lawson earned his promotion to Red Bull Racing from VCARB, where he will replace Sergio Perez. At the Austrian team, the New Zealander therefore will now be measured against Max Verstappen. The driver talked about what he expects from the upcoming season in his home country.
Lawson wants to compete with Verstappen
Lawson is yet to complete an entire F1 season, but he could get promoted to Red Bull, replacing Sergio Perez. Until now, the young driver has competed in 11 Grands Prix, as he was first a temporary substitute for Daniel Ricciardo, then a permanent one following the Singapore GP in 2024.
To begin with, Lawson does not expect to make things difficult for Verstappen right from the start. After all, the New Zealander still has a lot to learn. "Obviously, I have to be realistic. And so realistically, I know going in, I’m going to a whole bunch of tracks I've never done before, and it's my first full season. So I'm not expecting to go in there and fight with him for race wins instantly," Verstappen's next teammate told Stuff.
Many see being the Dutch driver's teammate one of the hardest jobs in the competition. Still, Lawson is not one to back down from a challenge. "But obviously, I'm expecting to perform well, and do the drive that the team needs me to do. And I'm obviously not there to lose either, I'm only there for one reason. So it's exciting."
'I'm prepared' says Lawson
The New Zealander also explained that thanks to Helmut Marko and the team, he is ready for this challenge. "I think Red Bull's environment for the last six years has always been under pressure. That's how it started when I was 16 when they signed me. I had the phone calls from Helmut every other week about, ‘do the job, otherwise you're axed’. And those kind of moments are, obviously, as a young driver, they put a lot of pressure on you, and that builds you really for F1. So I feel like I've sort of been developed for this opportunity."
This article was written in collaboration with Sandy van Wijngaarden
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