As a newcomer to Red Bull, Liam Lawson knows his place. He is the second driver behind four-time world champion Max Verstappen, and his initial goal is to stay somewhat close to him. “But when you’re in this sport, you believe that no one is better than you. We all believe that. Deep down, I also have that self-confidence, but realistically, it’s not feasible to think that I can immediately beat someone who has been driving Formula 1 for ten years and is a four-time world champion.”
For the ambitious New Zealander, who has moved up from Red Bull’s training team, his first season with Red Bull is all about learning. Or, as Lawson puts it himself: “For me, it’s important to use Max to improve, to develop myself as quickly as possible, so that I can reach the ultimate goal as soon as possible: winning.”
He receives full cooperation from Max Verstappen, Lawson emphasizes in a small gathering in Melbourne, in the run-up to the opening race of the Formula 1 season. “Max is honest and always open for conversations. That was the case when I first entered the paddock. If I had a question, I could go to him. In that respect, he has always been very relaxed. Having Max as a teammate now and learning from him is incredibly valuable. So yes, I think I should take advantage of that more than anything else.”
‘Max has a clear benchmark’
Liam Lawson: “Max has a clear benchmark from last season. For me, it’s mainly a matter of adapting to what it is now and trying to match what he does. Yes, we know that McLaren is strong, probably stronger than us at the moment. But we won’t really know where we stand until after the qualification on Saturday.”
His short-term task is to stay as close as possible to Verstappen. But what does ‘close’ mean? Lawson: “The closer, the better, haha. But it should be clear: if I end up at the back of the field, I’m not doing well enough.”
