Christian Horner: “Liam has seized his chance and demonstrated the necessary skills”

Despite Yuki Tsunoda’s experience, with more than three seasons in Formula 1 and notable performances in 2024 including 12 Q3 appearances and 65% of his team’s points, the Austrian team decided to promote Liam Lawson to succeed Sergio Perez.

In an interview with ESPN F1, Christian Horner discusses this strategic choice. « Liam seized his opportunity and demonstrated to us, in a short time, that he had the necessary skills and the right mindset to handle the transition to a Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen for 2025 », explains the team principal.

The decision was not simple, however. Yuki is also a very talented driver who has done a good job in recent tests, but after examining all the factors, we felt that Liam was the preferred candidate to accompany Max in 2025, specifies Christian Horner. The Japanese driver remains on the team’s radar, staying with Racing Bulls. It’s great to have him still involved with the team. He naturally remains on standby if necessary.

The performances of the two drivers were meticulously analyzed to distinguish them. It was very close between the two. Yuki is a very fast driver, with three or four seasons of experience. He did a very good job during the tests in Abu Dhabi where the engineers were impressed. But when analyzing Liam’s races, he was slightly better, with a qualifying pace very close to Yuki’s, he details.

A promising profile for the future

The potential for Liam Lawson’s development also played a role. We must assume that Liam’s potential, having only participated in 11 Grand Prix, can only improve and strengthen, Horner emphasizes. He has shown real mental resilience and strength of character. The engineers enjoyed working with him during the sessions he completed this year. He also has a good work ethic.

The versatility of the New Zealander was particularly noteworthy, as the British boss pointed out. « One of the things that impressed me about Liam is his versatility, you put him in a situation and he handles it. Remember his debut at Zandvoort after Daniel broke his fingers, he was battling against Max from his out lap. His experience in DTM, where he quickly mastered a Ferrari GT alongside Alex Albon, demonstrates this adaptability. His racing sense remains one of his main strengths. »

Christian Horner praises his ability to race wheel-to-wheel and make light contact on track if necessary, believing that Liam Lawson will do an excellent job for Red Bull.

Faced with the challenge of collaborating with the four-time world champion, the Red Bull director emphasizes the importance of managing pressure. “I think the key is not to put too much pressure on him and for him not to put too much pressure on himself, knowing that he will be up against the best driver of his generation. He almost has to ignore the data from what is happening on the number one car and focus with his own team of engineers,” he states.

A highly competitive 2025 lineup

The 2025 season promises to be particularly competitive, especially with major changes among the rivals. When looking at the teams, the Hamilton-Leclerc duo at Ferrari seems very strong. We’ve seen that the Norris-Piastri duo at McLaren is very strong. Russell-Antonelli will have a level of experience similar to that of Liam. But, I think Liam is more complete and more experienced overall than Antonelli, analyzes Horner.

In this final year of the current regulations, where competition tightened at the end of the 2024 season, Red Bull anticipates an intense battle. “It’s going to be very close next year,” warns Horner. “You saw how tight the second half of this year was. It will be another long year, and whoever is the most consistent and makes the most of the final year of this regulation will prevail,” he predicts.