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Advice for Liam Lawson ahead of 2025: 'That will be his time to strike'
- Estéban den Toom
Frits van Amersfoort, the owner of team Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR), knows exactly what Liam Lawson needs to do when driving alongside teammate Max Verstappen in Formula 1. The Dutchman is currently the best driver in the series, making it hard for his teammates to even keep up with him. However, Van Amersfoort thinks he knows what the right strategy for the New Zealander is ahead of the upcoming F1 season.
Lawson once drove a Van Amersfoort car. In an interview with Motorsport.com, the Dutch team owner explained that the 22-year-old talent's appointment as a full-time Formula 1 driver has been met with great enthusiasm within the team. However, Van Amersfoort did indicate that although the New Zealander's promotion to Red Bull Racing was a great opportunity, it was also a challenge.
Van Amersfoort advises Lawson in duel vs Verstappen
"It will be interesting to see how he holds up at Red Bull," he opined. "There is - and the experts do agree on this - a great danger in driving alongside Max. After all, was Sergio Pérez really that bad now, or did he mentally break down? Or perhaps he mentally destroyed himself? That is difficult for me as an outsider to judge. But I speak from experience when I say that the Verstappens are not the easiest. They basically leave no room for anyone else."
For the Dutch team owner there is only one option for Lawson. "If he is smart, he will accept that he has to play second fiddle for a while in the beginning. There will naturally come a time when Max decides it is time to go in a different direction or quit. And that will be the moment for Liam to strike. Until then, I hope Liam and Max develop a relationship where they help each other, instead of working against each other," Van Amersfoort concluded.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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