How Red Bull Picked Liam Lawson To Replace Sergio Perez Next ...

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 17: Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Scuderia AlphaTauri acknowledges ... [+] the crowd on the drivers parade prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 17, 2023 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

A new era officially began at Red Bull on Thursday, as the team announced Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez next season.

The Mexican and the Milton Keynes-based team agreed to part ways earlier this week, after a dismal campaign.

Perez’s form nosedived after he signed a two-year extension in May and he finished eighth in the championship, his worst return since he joined Red Bull in 2021.

Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, who both raced for Red Bull’s sister team, RB, last season were the two leading candidates to replace Perez, with the former getting the nod.

"To be announced as a Red Bull Racing driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something I've wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old,” Lawson said.

"It's been an incredible journey so far. 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."

Lawson becomes Verstappen’s fourth teammate since Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault at the end of the 2018 season.

Pierre Gasly lasted 12 races the following year before being replaced by Alex Albon, who was subsequently dropped for Perez ahead of the 2021 season.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Lawson’s performances with RB “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.”

"There's no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in Formula 1, is a daunting task, but I'm sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year,” he added.

Lawson made his Formula 1 debut for Alpha Tauri - which has since been rebranded to RB - in 2023, when he deputized for Ricciardo for five races after the Australian broke his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old scored the first point of his career as he finished 10th in Singapore in only his third Grand Prix, before Ricciardo returned for the final four races of the season.

After spending a year as Red Bull’s reserve driver, Ricciardo had been given the chance to challenge for Perez’s spot when he replaced Nyck de Vries at RB in the summer of 2023.

But his performances faltered last season and Lawson, who had started the year as Red Bull’s reserve driver, replaced the Australian permanently after the Singapore Grand Prix in October.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 16: Tenth placed qualifier Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Scuderia ... [+] AlphaTauri looks on in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 16, 2023 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Lawson joined the Red Bull Programme in 2019 and admitted he was worried he may never get a seat on the grid, despite impressing when he replaced Ricciardo in 2023.

“I know they [Red Bull] wanted to give me a shot at some point – and I trusted that as well,” he said ahead of his return to the grid in October.

“But it’s hard, after that amount of time, to be patient. As much as I believed it, it was getting quite difficult.

“It was leaning towards this direction – not exactly where I was going to go, but that I was going to get a seat somewhere – that was the direction it was heading in for the last few weeks leading into Singapore.”

The New Zealander scored points in two of his starts last season, finishing ninth in both the USA Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Lawson’s performance in Austin, where he climbed from 19th into the points in his first race back in Formula 1, made a big impression on Horner.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 03: Third placed qualifier Yuki Tsunoda of Japan and Visa Cash App RB ... [+] and 5th placed qualifier Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Visa Cash App RB celebrate in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 03, 2024 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Lars Baron - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

“I think he drove an exceptional race today," the Red Bull boss said at the time.

"He was fast, courageous, and I thought it was an excellent comeback for him.”

Tsunoda also scored points twice over the same period, coming seventh in Brazil and ninth in Las Vegas.

Overall, Tsunoda out-qualified Lawson in all six weekends and won the head-to-head in races 4-2, with the New Zealander finishing ahead of his teammate in two of three sprint races.

Multiple reports over the season, however, suggested Red Bull was never fully convinced about Tsunoda, who is heading into his fifth season with RB.

The Japanese finished 12th in the standings this year, his best return since he made his Formula 1 debut back in 2021.

RB is expected to replace Lawson with Isack Hadjar, the Formula Two championship runner-up.