Liam Lawson’s promotion, which will see him drive for Red Bull next season after 11 races in the satellite team between 2023 and 2024, has led to mixed reactions. Some consider him a fast and promising young driver, ready for the Milton Keynes car, while others would have preferred Yuki Tsunoda, who made his debut in 2021 and sees 2024 as his best season in terms of on-track performance.
There are also those who see Liam Lawson as a good choice but still have doubts about certain characteristics: this is the case with 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. Speaking to Express Sport, the Canadian driver expressed doubts not about Lawson’s driving ability but about his “strange” attitude: “He’s very arrogant for someone with so little experience. We’ll see how this attitude works with Max [Verstappen] and within the team. If Lawson is fast and pushes Max, there will be friction, while if there’s no friction, it’s because neither of them will win.”
Jacques Villeneuve warns of the usual risk that drivers promoted from Red Bull’s junior team face: “Liam Lawson has been fast and done a great job in the satellite team, but we’ve seen drivers move to the main team and burn out very quickly.” – the former Formula 1 driver pointed out.
The world champion concludes by saying that if Red Bull chose Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda, despite the 76-race difference between the two, it’s because Lawson deserves it: “New Zealand is not a country that brings huge value to F1 or sponsors, so they would never have considered him if he weren’t strong. They only want the best drivers.”
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