Lawson pinpoints 'invaluable' Verstappen lessons ahead of Red Bull switch

Liam Lawson has stated his experience with Red Bull Racing so far has been “invaluable” after studying new team-mate Max Verstappen.

Lawson will step up to the front-running F1 squad next year, replacing Sergio Perez who has departed the outfit after four seasons.

The New Zealander has received the promotion despite having just 11 grand prix starts under his belt.

However, he was long been associated with the Red Bull programme and spent the last three seasons as a reserve driver for the team.

When he was not racing, he was present in the Red Bull garage where he was able to watch Verstappen conduct himself to the team during his championship-winning seasons.

Lawson highlighted the value of being a reserve driver prior to being handed a full-time opportunity.

“As a reserve, you get those opportunities to almost experience what it's like to be in F1 without racing,” Lawson exclusively told RacingNews365 prior to his Red Bull promotion.

“To not do that and step in, I think it would be very, very tough. Some people do and they struggle.

“Being in the environment for two years, experiencing both teams VCARB and Red Bull, I think that was a really good opportunity and something that really helped prepare me to step in.”

Lawson learning from Verstappen mindset

With four championships to his name, Verstappen is part of an exclusive group that contains the most successful drivers in the sport's history, setting a major benchmark at Red Bull for Lawson to aim for.

But having already had time to watch Verstappen as a reserve driver, Lawson is not going up against the Dutchman in 2025 blind.

“It’s invaluable to see exactly every single weekend, the feedback, the mindset as well, that Max has going into a season, into a race,” Lawson said when asked about his experience so far with Verstappen.

“It’s something that you can learn a lot from when you're watching.

“He obviously knows exactly what he wants from a car going into a session, or giving feedback on a session, he knows exactly what he wants from it.

“It’s stuff like that, the mindset that he has. Also his feedback, it’s very clear and descriptive. He knows exactly what he wants from the car and if it's not doing that, it’s very concise feedback.

“Then in a session when you’re listening to how he's dealing with situations on track, it's all stuff like that that’s good to listen to.”

When asked if he has been able to apply some of Verstappen's methods to his own conduct, Lawson replied: “I think, yes, potentially. 

“I don't try and have the same mindset because I'm not in his head, I don't know what he's thinking

“It's more the feedback, what he’s dealing with, the way he talks to the team. When I sit there and watch it, it's clear to see how the team responds to what he talks about.

“You can see what is positive and what is negative, what they like, what they don't like. In that way, that's what I've more or less learned from.”