Liam Lawson is predicting a tough Red Bull debut as he heads to Grand Prix circuits in a Formula 1 car for the very first time.
Lawson was announced as Sergio Perez’s Red Bull replacement in December, following the conclusion of an underwhelming 2024 season for the Mexican.
The New Zealander joins Max Verstappen in the Red Bull roster with just 11 GP starts under his belt with all of his F1 races coming post-summer break in 2023 and ’24.
That leaves a whole host of circuits Lawson has competed at on racing’s highest stage and the Kiwi admits there will be a tough learning curve.
“Going into a year like this, especially the start of the season, I’m going to a lot of tracks I haven’t done before,” he admitted, adding, “I think the start of the year is going to be the hardest as well. Going to a bunch of tracks I haven’t done before starting the season, it’s going to be very, very tough.
“It’s a new team and I think big expectations so it’s very exciting but I’m also expecting it to be the toughest year that I’ve come into.”
The first half of the F1 calendar comprises circuits Lawson has only contested in junior formula or hasn’t raced on at all, such as Melbourne, Shanghai, Miami or Montreal, but he’s “excited” to try his hand at them in the Red Bull RB21.
“I’m very excited for Melbourne and I’m very excited for the start of the year,” he said.
“There’s a lot of cool tracks that I haven’t done that I think I will enjoy, like Melbourne. China looks like a cool track, Canada is somewhere I’ve always wanted to drive.
“I’ve only ever finished a season, I’ve never really completed one.
“So I think the start of the year is going to be the hardest. But I would say I’m also most excited to go to these new tracks.”
Lawson keen to learn from Verstappen at Red Bull
Lawson is set to undergo a test that several drivers have failed at, living up to being Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate.
The fearsome flying Dutchman has seen the likes of Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez fall by the wayside, unable to keep pace with the now four-time F1 champion, but Lawson sees the obvious “challenge” as a “great opportunity to learn”.
“There’s more opportunity than ever [having] someone like him as a team-mate, somebody who’s been in this team for 10 years and obviously he’s just won the last four world championships,” he said.
“There’s nobody better to align everything that I’m doing with because all of our data is going to be shared.
“For me, that’s a great opportunity to learn. There’s nobody better to learn, to improve [with].
“So that’s exciting.
“But obviously at the same time, having somebody so quick and competitive is going to come with its challenges.
“So for me, it’s just about making the most of that.”
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