Red Bull expects Liam Lawson to closely match Max Verstappen's performance within three-tenths of a second as he joins the senior team in 2025, replacing Sergio Perez.

Max Verstappen believes the identity of his teammate next season "won’t matter" as long as Red Bull can produce a fast car.

Liam Lawson will race alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in 2025 for the first time but the two know each other well as the Kiwi has been an academy member for years

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has explained why the team opted against promoting Yuki Tsunoda, despite him being “faster” than Liam Lawson. Lawson got the nod over Tsunoda to replace the axed Sergio Perez for 2025, with the 22-year-old New Zealander becoming Max Verstappen ’s fifth teammate since he joined Red Bull in 2016.

A sporting switch for Max Verstappen has been revealed during the Formula 1 winter break. The four-time world champion will attempt to defend his title in 2025, as Red Bull are expected to once again have major competition from F1 rivals McLaren and Ferrari.

Max Verstappen may be the villain in the F1 story to Lando Norris’ “good guy” and George Russell’s “schemer”, but the Dutchman is not the only bad guy at Red Bull. According to former Formula 1 driver Marc Surer,

Red Bull expect Liam Lawson to be within three tenths of Max Verstappen throughout the 2025 F1 season. That is according to Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, who has laid down the expectations for Lawson before he steps up to the Red Bull senior team in 2025.