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Horner careful with Lawson: 'Need to protect him alongside Verstappen'
After the 2024 season, it was announced that Liam Lawson will have the chance to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing. A big job awaits the driver from New Zealand, as drivers in this competition are clearly comparted to their teammates, and his will the four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
'No order says he can't beat Verstappen'
Ahead of the F1 75 Live event that is hosted in London at the O2 Arena, team principal Christian Horner talked about what awaits their new full-time driver, Liam Lawson. "Liam's job is quite clear," he began to GPblog among others. "He's there to try and provide as much support as he possibly can. There's not an expectation for him to go out and beat a four-time world champion. If he beats him, fantastic, and there's no order to say that he can't," the Briton explained.
"But I think it's a matter of trying to take the pressure off Liam as best we can," Horner then continued. He then also further praised the New Zealander. "He has been part of our team for a couple of years as test and reserve driver. One of the things that really impressed us about him is his mental strength and resilience."
Horner sees that Lawson has a tough job ahead of him. Previously, many young talents were replaced after they could not keep up with Verstappen at the team, including Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, and now, the more experienced Sergio Perez has also been substituted out.
"Being Max's teammate is probably the toughest seat in Formula One. We'll do our best to protect him and develop him. He only has 11 Grands Prix under his belt, so it's a big ask. But I think he's got all the capability and talent and mental strength to be able to deal with that," Horner concluded.
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