Red Bull has confirmed that Liam Lawson will partner Max Verstappen in the 2025 Formula One World Championship.

The New Zealander joined the Red Bull Junior Programme in 2019 and after multiple junior formula successes made his Formula One debut with AlphaTauri at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, in place of the injured Daniel Ricciardo.

He scored his first championship points in just his second outing at the Singapore GP and completed five races in all for the team.

After taking up his reserve driver role with both teams at the start of 2024, Lawson returned to racing with the Racing Bulls with a points-scoring finish at this year's United States Grand Prix. Now, after completing the season with RB the 22-year-old takes the next step in his career with a seat at Red Bull.

"To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing Driver is a lifelong dream for me," said the Kiwi, "this is something I've wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old.

"It's been an incredible journey so far. I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB 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 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!"

"I'm delighted to announce that Liam Lawson will join the team in 2025," added Christian Horner. "Liam's performances over the course of his two stints with the 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."

RB has yet to confirm who will join a naturally disappointed Yuki Tsunoda, but it appears that Isack Hadjar is a shoo-in.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 20/12/2024 19:25

"Trial by fire. Let's see how Lawson does. RBR are agile enough to make changes at any point."

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2. Posted by Spindoctor, 20/12/2024 14:47

"@dejan
Without seeing Lawson's contract it's impossible to say what'll happen. I'd expect him to play the "loyal wingman" part, at least if or until VMax has another unassailable lead & those pesky Fezzas & Maccas aren't snapping at RBR's heels in the Constructor championship."

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3. Posted by dejan, 19/12/2024 22:56

"Red Bull doesn't need another superstar - they need a reliable driver who would be happy to be second after Max and pick-up the occasional win/second place when Max has a weekend off. Mercedes was so domimant in the 2010s that the fights and crashes between Rosberg and Hamilton didn't really matter however if you had an internal Red Bull rivalry and 1-2 crashes at the beginning of the season Max wouldn't have been champion."

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4. Posted by BillH, 19/12/2024 16:38

"Good!"

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5. Posted by Spindoctor, 19/12/2024 16:19

"Not sure anyone can drive "Max's car" as well as Max. Just as Ferraris in the Schumacher era were conceived & engineered to suit Michael, so I'd guess RBR's cars are made to suit VMax. Perez was completely flummoxed by them.
Hopefully Lawson, who has no "muscle memory" of previous F1 cars can adapt quickly. The Team has been reported as suggesting that they'll aim for a more "consistent" car for 2025 - sacrificing some downforce for better "drivability" This too might prove grist to Lawson's mill.

Irrespective of anything else I wish the young man the best of luck. It's great to see another Kiwi in F1 & let's hope he can emulate some of his glorious predecessors!"

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6. Posted by meatball, 19/12/2024 15:27

"that's a kick in the teeth for Yuki but with his temper and fragility it can't be a surprise. Honda will have to see if Lawrence will fire his son to get Yuki a seat now. Unless the donkey can out race the goat, then maybe they'll partner him with Lance... "

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7. Posted by Chester, 19/12/2024 13:38

"I'm luke warm on Lawson at RB. Probably the right move for them, promoting an RB junior driver- but I'm not sure he will be any better at a car optimized for Verstappen's driving style than Perez was."

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8. Posted by Burton, 19/12/2024 12:21

"Last time they promoted a driver with half a season worth of experience it turned out so well..."

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9. Posted by kenji, 19/12/2024 11:19

"I currently feel that the choice of Lawson is fraught with disappointment. He's nothing out of the box ATPIT...IMO. I do feel that Tsunoda was worth a 6 month run to see how he shaped up. He can be blindingly fast at times and with some further coaching could well of been a formidable force. Obviously RB would've exhausted an in depth study and thought otherwise! "

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Red Bull confirms Lawson for 2025

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