'Has he got more speed than Verstappen?' - Lawson faces crucial Red Bull question

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has posed a crucial Max Verstappen question that Liam Lawson must answer; has he got more speed than the reigning world champion?

Lawson was chosen as Sergio Perez's replacement at Red Bull despite having never previously held a full-time seat in the pinnacle of motorsport. 

The New Zealander has made 11 appearances across the last two years for AlphaTauri/RB, all in the place of Daniel Ricciardo. 

In both stints where Lawson replaced Ricciardo, the young driver impressed both Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko. 

However, Lawson now faces the challenge of partnering Verstappen, who has consistently been too much to deal with by whoever is alongside him in the Milton Keynes-based team. 

There is no doubting Lawson's talent, with the 23-year-old having been very consistent in his races for Red Bull's sister team. 

However, as pointed out by Herbert, racing for Red Bull is a very different proposition, given both the media attention and the constant threat of Verstappen.

"Liam has got to prove himself," Herbert told CasinoApps. "He's got a good reputation. He came into Formula One replacing Daniel [Ricciardo] and did a fantastic job.

"Everybody was praising him for doing what he's doing. Now he's got to do it properly because we've seen it many a-time when a driver gets the opportunity up against the very, very best. Are they able to cope with that pressure?

"It’s the pressure from the media, from within the team, and then the pressure actually within yourself to be able to perform every single time.

"Liam is talented, absolutely. He's got the speed, absolutely. Has he got more speed than Max Verstappen? Well, that's what he's got to prove to everybody. And himself."