Liam Lawson confirmed as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull F1 in 2025

Christian Horner has opted to promote New Zealand racer Lawson from Red Bull’s sister team

Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull in 2025.

New Zealand driver Lawson, 22, has raced only 11 times in Formula One – five in 2023 and six in 2024 – but has been handed the opportunity of a lifetime after impressing in the closing races of this season. He replaced Daniel Ricciardo at RB in September and will fill in for Perez, who parted ways with Red Bull on Wednesday.

Lawson has been promoted by Christian Horner ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, who will race for the sister team Racing Bulls for the fifth successive year in 2025.

It is expected that Red Bull junior and this year’s F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar will replace Lawson at RB. Williams’ Franco Colapinto is the other name in the fray.

“To be announced as a Red Bull Racing driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old,” Lawson said.

“It’s been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at RB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step.

“I also want to thank, Christian, Helmut [Marko] and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.

“I am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going!”

Horner, who stated on Wednesday that Perez would be taking a sabbatical in 2025 after four years with the team, labelled Lawson as a “real racer”.

Liam Lawson will partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull (Getty Images)

Lawson faces one of the toughest tasks in sport as he becomes Max Verstappen’s teammate (Getty Images)

“I’m delighted to announce that Liam Lawson will join the Team in 2025,” Horner said.

“Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Racing Bulls have demonstrated that he’s not only capable of delivering strong results but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top.

“His arrival continues the team’s long history of promoting from within the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Max Verstappen.

“There’s no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task, but I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”