Lawson makes 'extra tough' early Red Bull prediction

Liam Lawson has acknowledged he is not expected to be in a highly competitive position when he makes his Red Bull F1 debut next month.

The New Zealander has been promoted to the front-running squad for the upcoming campaign, replacing Sergio Perez who endured a difficult 2024 season with Red Bull.

Lawson's promotion comes despite starting in just 11 grand prix - five in 2023 as a replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo and six last season after the Australian was axed by Racing Bulls after the Singapore Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old will face a tough opening stretch as the first two rounds of the season take place in Australia and China at tracks he has not raced at before.

Lawson will also face up against Max Verstappen, who has easily out-paced several of his previous Red Bull team-mates.

When asked how he will be able to focus on his own driving and not what Verstappen is doing alongside him, Lawson told RacingNews365: “I’ll only know I guess when I start racing.

“I think right now, the focus is pretty clear. From our side of the car and the team perspective, we want to adjust as quickly as possible and get up to speed.

“These tracks that we’re going to start at are going to be extra tough, because I haven’t done them.

“So for me, there’s no real expectation to go out there and start winning races from the get-go.”

Lawson eyes learning from Verstappen

Lawson is the latest Red Bull junior to be promoted to the senior squad as the team looks to find a consistent balance within its line-up.

Whilst Lawson acknowledged it will take time for him to become competitive, he has eyed Verstappen's speed and experience as a tool to help him.

“It’s obviously going to be a process to get up to speed," he added. "And for me, it’s about doing that as quickly as possible.

“And there’s no real expectation or time frame on when I think I’m going to do that. It’s just about working towards doing that as quickly as possible.

“Having Max as a team-mate is very valuable, from a learning perspective, getting to learn off everything he’s doing. There’s really nobody better to do that.

“It’s more about making the most and taking advantage of that, rather than thinking about it in a way that’s going to put extra pressure on me.”