Liam Lawson says he’s been told to match Yuki Tsunoda to secure himself a full-time seat in Formula 1 in 2025.
Red Bull made the decision to drop Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of this season and replace him with Lawson at RB, with the New Zealander making his first start of the year this weekend at the United States Grand Prix. Lawson says the commitment is only for the remaining six races so far, and that he still has to earn the spot alongside Tsunoda next season.
“It’s pretty simple,” Lawson told RACER. “The sort of target that was set is to basically perform in the seat. They want me to obviously match Yuki, and that’ll give me my best shot at having a seat next year, but it’s always being evaluated.
“They could even say that you’re going to be racing next year, but if I don’t do a good job next year, then obviously they’re not going to put me in the car. And it’s always just going to be like that.”
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Lawson impressed during five races standing in for the injured Ricciardo last year, and he doesn’t feel any added pressure due to increased expectations following those outings.
“It’s definitely not how I look at it,” he said. “Even if you’re an experienced driver, even if you’ve had a great season, if you go into a new season — even a new race weekend — we’re all very short-sighted on this stuff. And if you have a great race weekend, that’s fine, but you basically start again next time, and we’re always being evaluated.
“It’s always going to be like that, regardless if it’s my first six races, or if I’m five seasons in and I’m going into another season. If you’re not doing a good job, then you’re going to be judged — by the team especially — by your performance.
“It’s the same as last year. The only difference is I at least know that I’m getting the six [starts]. Last year, I didn’t know how many I was going to do. But it’s all performance-based, and it always will be. So I guess the sooner I realize and accept that, the better off I’ll be.”
While Lawson is clearly the frontrunner for a full-time seat in 2025 – team principal Christian Horner even hinted he could be in the frame for a Red Bull drive if required – there are also options in the Red Bull junior ranks rising towards F1, with Isack Hadjar the most likely alternative. The French driver is currently second in the Formula 2 standings, 4.5 points off the lead, and has completed three FP1 outings already.