After coming close to matching Yuki Tsunoda at RB for the final six Grand Prix of 2024, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner decided that Lawson was the right man to replace Sergio Perez.
Lawson may not have outscored Tsunoda during their time together, but his race pace was virtually at the same level as the Japanese driver.
Considering he’s vastly less experienced than Tsunoda, Red Bull believe that Lawson has more potential than the 24-year-old and that’s why he’s now Max Verstappen’s newest teammate.
Perez was the Dutchman’s longest-serving teammate but in 2024 his performances slipped to the point that despite having a contract for this year, Red Bull had to let him go.
Red Bull require their drivers to reach a certain level and while they know they don’t need two world championship contenders right now, Lawson will be expected to be much closer to Verstappen than his predecessor.
Not only that, but the New Zealander is going to have to support Verstappen across the season.
That means beating his rivals and one driver Verstappen will be particularly keen to defeat is Mercedes star George Russell.
Lawson was being interviewed by Autosport on TikTok and asked a series of questions about his fellow drivers.
Among the questions he was asked, Lawson named Verstappen as the most relaxed driver on the grid, which many people may or may not agree with.
When asked who the most serious driver in F1 was, without hesitation, Lawson answered, ‘George [Russell]’ and it’s a viewpoint that his new Red Bull teammate will very much agree with.
Verstappen and Russell famously started a feud during the Qatar Grand Prix last year.
The Dutchman was initially on pole position before he was adjudged to have blocked Russell on his warm-up lap and was given a one-place grid penalty.
However, Verstappen was furious with Russell’s conduct in the steward’s room that day and their relationship has been impacted ever since.
Russell is currently the head of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association [GDPA] which further backs up Lawson’s claim that he’s F1’s most serious driver.
He’s the mouthpiece for the other 19 drivers on the grid and regularly voices the opinions of his colleagues to the media as a result.
Russell joined forces with Verstappen and the rest of the grid when he was penalised for swearing during a press conference in Singapore.
However, the Mercedes driver was appalled by Verstappen’s conduct during their argument in Qatar and held a press conference at the final race in Abu Dhabi where he said the Dutchman had ‘bullied’ other drivers for years.
Drive to Survive filmed additional parts of Russell and Verstappen’s feud as the four-time world champion responded ahead of last season’s finale.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how the next part of the story plays out, but Lawson and Russell’s new teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli will both have roles to play, especially if Red Bull and Mercedes are fighting on the same part of the track.
