When Pink Bull determined who to cross Formulation 1’s poisoned chalice to for 2025, one issue outweighed all others in choosing Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s teammate. Efficiency mattered, however extra essential was the sturdy mindset required to thrive the place his predecessors have failed. It’s a logical criterion to prioritize, however one probably resulting in different issues given the mentality intrinsic to any profitable racing driver.
It’s an exaggeration to say Verstappen is a career-killer given Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon rose once more in F1, albeit to diminished heights, whereas Sergio Perez is licking his wounds forward of a doable return in 2026, however all of them sustained heavy injury from sharing a storage with him. Racing historical past is stuffed with succesful drivers made to look third-rate by direct comparability to an all-time nice, however Pink Bull believes – or maybe extra precisely, hopes – Lawson has what it takes to keep away from that destiny. The New Zealander, at 22 and with simply 11 grand prix begins sprinkled throughout two seasons beneath his belt, is seen as sufficiently broad-shouldered to hold the burden of what has grow to be an unattainable project.
The query of an athlete’s mindset is far mentioned and widely known as an important part of their sporting make-up, but it’s additionally poorly outlined and tough to investigate and check besides by trial by fireplace in competitors. Lawson has proved he’s assured, carrying himself with an boastful swagger typical of many top-level grand prix drivers each inside and outdoors of the automobile. His CV is mild on titles – the 2019 Toyota Racing Sequence is his most illustrious championship win in vehicles – however consists of wins in any respect ranges. Usually, he begins strongly, which helps the notion he’s by no means overawed by a step up. Nevertheless, there’s a suspicion his development then plateaus.
Pink Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has set an unambiguous goal for Lawson, who “needs to be inside three-tenths of Max in each qualifying and the race,” together with contributing the factors wanted to win the constructors’ championship and the expectation “he also needs to steadily enhance his efficiency – if doable.” These are broadly the identical set of targets Gasly, Albon and Perez failed to attain, for whereas Perez contributed to constructors’ titles in 2022 and ’23, these had been in seasons the place Pink Bull had a major efficiency benefit. When it was shut in ’21 and ’24, he value it. Lawson’s problem is to keep away from being a weak hyperlink.
Marko additionally claims Lawson’s “psychological energy tipped the scales.” Whereas he and Pink Bull workforce principal Christian Horner aren’t all the time on the identical web page in terms of the decision-making course of, they’re aligned right here.
“What has actually stood out with him has been his angle and his skill to take care of strain,”says Horner. “All of the rookies regarded just a little bit like rookies in Brazil [in the wet]. Liam didn’t drop the automobile, he didn’t make any errors. He’s regarded a seasoned campaigner. In case you have a look at his performances, he’s agile as effectively. We put him in a DTM automobile for a yr alongside Alex Albon; he was very fast. He races onerous, and he’s bought broad shoulders. You want that to be in that seat.
“Liam has bought the appropriate character to have the ability to address the strain of being Max’s teammate and the expectations on him are very clear. We’re not anticipating him to beat Max, Max is a generational expertise. The target is to get as shut as he can and bag as many factors as he can, in order that we don’t have a 285-point deficit between the vehicles.”
Pink Bull’s management insists that it’s not blind to the dangers of pairing the comparatively unseasoned Lawson with Verstappen, however believes the Kiwi’s psychological energy will assist him succeed the place others struggled. Andrew Ferraro/Motorsport Pictures
This sounds promising and it’s conceivable Lawson may settle into this position comfortably, changing into Eddie Irvine to Verstappen’s Michael Schumacher. When Irvine signed as much as be Schumacher’s teammate, he knew it was as quantity two and really publicly embraced it, ending his four-year stint at Maranello with a quartet of grand prix wins and an unsuccessful tilt on the world championship in ’99. However Irvine is a rarity; extra usually the psychology is that of the usurper – doubly so because the “grasp and apprentice” method that when held sway in grand prix racing pale away a long time in the past.
Lawson will say all the appropriate issues and head into a tricky season together with his eyes open. Intellectually, he’ll embrace the mission of being Verstappen’s wing man, however he shall be conflicted. Racing drivers, at the very least those who make it to this degree on benefit, are aggressive beasts normally with the utter conviction they’ll beat anybody. Their careers are constructed upon the expectation they may get within the automobile and be sooner, higher, extra profitable than each driver they face. The conviction may be whittled away at by time for world-weary campaigners, however not somebody of Lawson’s age. There’s little doubt that his mentality received’t simply be of being a superb quantity two – deep down, he’ll imagine he can depose Verstappen.
Lawson is an abrasive competitor and in his six 2024 outings earned himself a fame for being a tricky rival in wheel-to-wheel fight. Whereas happenstance meant he usually crossed paths with Perez, there’s no query he knew the importance of battles with the driving force he was in rivalry to switch. Moderately than being cowed by this, he backed himself and wasn’t afraid of risking irritating his paymasters by exhibiting that this was his time. Marko, specifically, may have beloved this method.
Verstappen is a totally totally different proposition to Perez, however Lawson will see him as simply one other skittle to be knocked down in his profession development. The best quantity two drivers are normally those that don’t know – or relatively haven’t accepted –that is their lot in life. Valtteri Bottas exemplified this at Mercedes, coming again yearly decided to barge Lewis Hamilton out of his workforce chief position and repeatedly failing. Ideally, you need a driver who can hold dusting themselves down and get again up once more as a result of they may get the perfect from themselves and hold their teammate on their toes. However this will’t final without end and ultimately such resolve is eroded.
The impact might be delayed for Lawson given he maybe can hark again to the outdated days of studying from a star driver due to Verstappen being courted by rival groups forward of a doable transfer away from Pink Bull. Have been that to occur for ’26 then Lawson can fulfill himself by being shut sufficient this yr to be seen as a reputable workforce chief sooner or later. Nevertheless, that’s a slim set of circumstances, contingent on elements exterior of his management.
Each empire falls. Nice drivers seem like omnipotent entities who will eternally prevail, till immediately someday they aren’t. They survive assault from numerous rivals however ultimately, for no matter motive, shall be deposed. Lawson should imagine he may be that agent of change as a result of that comes with the territory of his robust mindset, which shall be based upon the understanding he may be higher than anybody.
Objectively, that is vastly bold and there’s no motive to imagine Lawson can pull it off. In truth, the proof of his profession factors to a driver who is sweet relatively than nice – which means he has the flexibility to have an extended and completed grand prix profession, however not a Verstappen-beating one. Nevertheless, the mentality of drivers will not be, and in some ways can not, be so goal when it comes to placing a ceiling on their potential. In the event that they did, would any ever set foot on the trail to F1, given the ludicrously lengthy odds of creating it?
Verstappen’s reign will finish sooner or later. Lawson shall be privately backing himself to hurry that course of alongside. Pink Bull Content material Pool
Let’s say Lawson does do higher than that three-tenths deficit and in some way begins pushing Verstappen, then he shall be minded to maneuver in for the kill. This implies all of the qualities which have helped him get there may grow to be an issue for Pink Bull – the killer intuition, the self-confidence, the sturdy mentality. Unlikely as it’s, it’s not fully unattainable.
The corollary is he experiences what nearly each driver does ultimately – the psychological battering of being straight in comparison with somebody emphatically higher than you. Subsequently, Pink Bull wants Lawson to string the needle – he must be shut sufficient to contribute with out being an issue however not fall into confusion and despondency. Verstappen teammates have a behavior of getting misplaced, and if that occurs it’s a tough wilderness to seek out your manner out of. The draw back of a rock-solid mentality is, in case you are destabilized, you possibly can fall far and rapidly.
Pink Bull has determined Lawson is the perfect candidate for the job, or at the very least from amongst its present secure. You might argue it’s making the identical outdated mistake by swinging again to selling an inexperienced younger driver, working a danger of a repeat of the failure of Gasly and Albon. Horner is sensible sufficient to simply accept there’s a danger of this, however once more argues Lawson is totally different.
“The hazard is there’s a repeat of that, however Liam is a distinct character,” says Horner. “He’s a distinct persona, in a position to take care of the strain. He’s proven an actual resilience and energy of character with the chance that’s been supplied. And he drives the automobile in a similar way to Max, he doesn’t shrink back from having a really constructive entrance finish within the automobile. So when it comes to driving traits, will probably be simpler for the vehicles to run extra intently collectively in set-up.”
Horner’s level about driving fashion is essential as too usually its quantity twos have grow to be misplaced in set-up experiments. A driver’s tolerances outline how one can develop and run a automobile and Verstappen, like Schumacher, likes a sharp automobile on turn-in. The quickest automobile theoretically will all the time have that instability on turn-in however requires the driving force to have a really exact really feel and talent to proactively management the rear.
Verstappen was confounded at occasions final yr when restricted by understeer as a result of it imposed an easier-to-access however decrease restrict of the automobile. Nevertheless, the query is whether or not Lawson actually can match that fashion. He does wish to push the rotation within the entries and due to this fact a rear finish with a level of instability, however he should keep away from falling into the lure of making an attempt to attain that with late braking. Gasly suffered from that, usually braking later than Verstappen, affected by under-rotation because of this, then complaining of a scarcity of traction in nook exits as a result of he was successfully driving an extended nook.
Lawson will study loads from Verstappen, not solely when it comes to methods to be fast but in addition the artwork of tire administration. It’s unclear simply how robust a problem he’ll face this season given it stays to be seen how aggressive Pink Bull is after its 2024 troubles. However one factor is definite – Lawson heads into the brand new season with absolute confidence and a certainty that he received’t articulate publicly that he may be the one to defeat Verstappen.
Lawson would by no means have made it this far if he didn’t. However for all of Pink Bull’s confidence in him, there’s no manner of figuring out how he’ll actually reply to what could be a punishing scenario for many drivers. His psychological energy won’t ever have been examined like this earlier than and given it’s vanishingly unlikely he’ll be capable to ship on the hopes of usurping F1’s high canine, which might deliver its personal issues, even Lawson received’t actually understand how he’ll stand as much as it.
All we will know for positive is that proper now, earlier than the fact of the struggle units in, he shall be quietly assured that he can flip this tough alternative right into a career-making one. And that elementary fact signifies that if, or extra realistically when, he can’t, no one is aware of how he’ll reply.
