Marko warns Lawson not to repeat 'mistake of those who failed'

Liam Lawson faces a huge challenge for the 2025 season. As Max Verstappen's new teammate, he will have to consistently bring in good results to prove that he belongs in the second seat at Red Bull Racing. However, according to Helmut Marko, Lawson shouldn't get his hopes up that he can compete with Verstappen straight away.

In an interview with Formel1.de, Marko explained that Lawson should not enter the season planning to beat his teammate. "He should not think: 'How do I beat Max?' Because that was the mistake of those who unfortunately failed," Marko explained. Verstappen has had multiple teammates during his tenure at Red Bull Racing. Daniel Riccarido, Pierre Gasly, and Sergio Perez to name a few.

Former Red Bull driver Christian Klien added: "He should not go into the season thinking: 'I have to beat Max Verstappen now'. I think that's just not possible. We've all seen that in recent years. What the team needs is a good driver alongside Max who also takes points."

Marko also says that a big part of Verstappen and Red Bull Racing's relationship was the success he has found with Newey. "Newey is a pure racer, an intelligent man, and the first thing he wants is to be the fastest driver," the Red Bull advisor stated.

Nevertheless, the Austrian is not worried that Aston Martin will pose a threat to Red Bull anytime soon. He said, "Newey is a genius, but that doesn't happen overnight. He needs a team around him, and I don't see this changing in the short term,"

This article was written in collaboration with Mitchel van der Hoef.