Horner describes Red Bull plan to 'protect' Lawson

Christian Horner has detailed how protecting Liam Lawson "from expectation" is a key Red Bull priority in 2025.

The Kiwi is stepping up to the senior Red Bull team in 2025 to partner Max Verstappen with just 11 grand prix starts to his name after Sergio Perez was axed following an abysmal '24 season. 

Verstappen has historically destroyed team-mates with Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez all losing their Red Bull seats whilst partnering him with Daniel Ricciardo walking away at the end of 2018. 

Lawson was given the nod over the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda to replace Perez, with Horner hopeful that general improvements to the RB21 machine will aid Lawson's progress as the team look to shield him. 

"Daniel and Max were a strong pairing, we then had two juniors that struggled and that's why Checo stepped into the car for the 2021 season, and coped with the pressure," Horner told select media including RacingNews365. 

"The other factor we're focused very hard on is making sure that we're creating a wider operating window with the RB21 than the RB20, which was very narrow and was a peaky performance window. 

"For us to create a broader window will hopefully help Liam find a more forgiving car than the RB20 could be on occasion. 

"One thing we will be looking to do is protect Liam from is expectation, and of course, when Alex and Pierre were with the team, Max wasn't the four-time world champion. 

"He hadn't won a world championship at that point, but we have a very clear positioning within the team with where Max is at in his career, and what we need from the second driver."