Lawson expects to suffer in first Grands Prix: "A lot of circuits I've never done before"

Liam Lawson is in a strange situation. The Kiwi has never competed in a full season and has only 11 Grands Prix under his belt, yet he is already at a top team, Red Bull, and expectations are already high for him. This season, he will be the teammate of the four-time reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, and will be under pressure throughout the year, a custom with the Austrian team. The New Zealander will have a lot to learn, both within his new team and on the circuits he will discover this season. If he was able to compete for parts of the season in Formula 1, especially at the end of the championship with Alpha Tauri / Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson will be visiting many new tracks for him.

“Coming into Formula 1, the goal was to do a good job to get into the main team, and I was lucky enough to do that, which brings me closer to that goal [of the title]. But obviously I still have a lot to do before that happens, recognizes Liam Lawson. In a year like this, especially early in the season, I'm going to a lot of tracks that I've never done before. It's a new team and I think the expectations are high. So it's very exciting, but I also expect it to be the toughest year I've had."

“I’m really looking forward to Melbourne and I’m really excited for the start of the year. There are a lot of interesting tracks that I haven’t done yet and I think I’ll enjoy them, like Melbourne. China looks like a cool track, Canada is somewhere I’ve always wanted to drive. But I think the start of the year will also be the most difficult, concedes the New Zealander. Going to a bunch of tracks that I've never done before starting the season, it's going to be very, very tough. I've only finished one season, I've never done a full one. So I think the beginning of the year will be the toughest. But I would also say that I'm very excited to go to these new tracks.

Lawson not scared by Verstappen

Liam Lawson has the advantage of having driven on most of the circuits on the 2025 calendar, both in F1 and in Formula 2 (Jeddah, Barcelona, ​​Imola…) and even in Super Formula for Suzuka. However, facing the ruthless Max Verstappen, the New Zealander could quickly suffer from the comparison with his teammate on the tracks that are unknown to him. A confrontation that does not scare the Kiwi, who considers himself lucky to have a driver of such pedigree at his side.

“It will be extremely difficult, but at the same time there are more opportunities than ever [to have] someone like him as a teammate, someone who has been on this team for 10 years and obviously has just won the last four world championships, Liam Lawson points out. There's no one better to align everything I do with him because all our data will be shared. For me, it's a great learning opportunity. There's no better way to learn, to improve. So it's exciting. But obviously at the same time, having someone that's that fast and that competitive is not without its challenges. So for me, it's about making the most of it."

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