Liam Lawson has completed his mission. After joining Racing Bulls following the Singapore Grand Prix, in the wake of Daniel Ricciardo’s departure, the New Zealander was immediately put under pressure by Red Bull, who wanted him to become Sergio Perez’s replacement. This pressure pushed him to perform sometimes questionable maneuvers in order to keep his position. An aggressiveness that drew the ire of some drivers.<\/p>\n
Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez have notably complained several times about the former Formula 2 driver’s behavior on the track, with battles sometimes ending in collisions, like in Mexico with the Red Bull driver whom he will be replacing this year. The New Zealander recently felt the need to justify himself, explaining that he had to maximize his results to convince Red Bull, even if it meant being more aggressive. \u00ab I came into a clearly unique position. I had five or six races, and I knew this was my chance to prove I deserved a seat in F1. Whether it was with [Racing Bulls] or Red Bull, it was all the opportunity I had. \u00bb<\/p>\n
These guys have been racing\u2014especially Fernando\u2014for a long time, he told Stuff as relayed by RaceFans. So I did my best every lap I was in the car. My intention wasn’t to upset him, but obviously, I just raced against him like I race against everyone, and it had that effect. I simply tried to make the most of this opportunity. Liam Lawson, however, admitted his faults, explaining that the pressure from the Austrian camp pushed him to adopt a more combative approach. Maybe that extra pressure, knowing what was at stake, triggered some… let’s say, not very glorious moments from me. But obviously, I’m still learning and I’ve learned from it.<\/p>\n
Despite everything, the New Zealander, future Red Bull driver, stated that his driving at Racing Bulls is nothing new as he has always driven this way. \u00ab Honestly, I don’t think I’ve changed at all. Maybe I wasn’t on TV often enough before or something like that, but basically, this is how I’ve always raced. \u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00ab With the path to get to F1, it’s often unfair, and I’ve always had to make the most of every opportunity. Today, I was extremely lucky with the timing of all this, so I arrived and raced exactly as I always have. \u00bb While he considers himself lucky to drive one of the best cars on the grid, he knows he won’t be able to compete immediately with the best, having only 11 Grand Prix races in Formula 1 and having to share his garage with the four-time world champion.<\/p>\n
\u00ab I have to be realistic. So, in reality, I know that upon arriving, I will discover a series of circuits that I have never done before, and it’s my first full season, so I don’t expect to arrive and fight for victories immediately. But obviously, I expect to perform well and do the job that the team expects from me. I’m clearly not here to lose. I am here for one reason only. \u00bb The New Zealander is ambitious this season and is relying on his experience gained over several years within the Red Bull fold to withstand this pressure and prove to the Austrian team that it made the right decision to recruit him.<\/p>\n
I think the environment at Red Bull over the past six years has always put me under pressure. It was like that from the start, when I was 16 and they signed me. I had phone calls from Helmut every two weeks, like “do the job, or you’re fired”. These kinds of moments, obviously, when you’re a young driver, put a lot of pressure on you, and it really shapes you for F1. So I think I was somewhat prepared for this opportunity.<\/p>\n
Despite everything, the situation will be completely different once on the track. After Gasly and Albon, will Lawson also be sidelined by Red Bull, or will he manage to keep his seat? The start of the 2025 season will already give us some indication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The New Zealander will be Max Verstappen’s new teammate in 2025. A position he had to earn in just six races, which undoubtedly influenced his driving compared to other drivers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":44872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1749],"tags":[18,842,1334],"class_list":["post-30760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","category-news","tag-18","tag-liam-lawson","tag-red-bull"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n