Red Bull’s choice for Sergio Perez’s successor
Red Bull’s decision for the post-Perez era ultimately fell—without too much surprise—on the young, almost-rookie Liam Lawson. The 22-year-old New Zealander will take Sergio Perez’s place in the Milton Keynes team, sharing the garage with the untouchable four-time world champion Max Verstappen. It’s a risky choice given Lawson’s limited experience as the now-former Racing Bulls driver, but team principal Christian Horner justified the move by pointing to Lawson’s encouraging race pace shown across the 11 Grands Prix he has raced with the Faenza-based team.
Christian Horner explains the choice between Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson
Lawson edged out Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda despite the latter’s greater experience (90 Grands Prix and four full seasons in F1) and despite Tsunoda conducting the 2025 Pirelli tire test in Abu Dhabi, driving the RB20. “It was a very, very tough battle,” Horner admitted in an interview with ESPN regarding the decision between Tsunoda and Lawson. “Yuki is a very fast driver. He already has three or four seasons of experience in F1 and did an excellent job for us in the tire tests in Abu Dhabi, after which our engineers were impressed. But we believed that, analyzing their races, Liam’s pace was slightly better.”
“Even in qualifying,” Christian Horner continued, “Liam was very close to Yuki. We are inclined to think that Lawson’s potential is better, given that he has only raced 11 Grands Prix and is expected to become faster and stronger. He has shown great mental resilience. The engineers also enjoyed working with him during the races he participated in this year because he has a strong work ethic.” Finally, Horner left the door slightly open for Yuki Tsunoda: “It’s great that Tsunoda will still be with us in Racing Bulls next year. He’ll obviously remain available if needed.”
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