Liam Lawson said he may leave Red Bull in pursuit of an F1 world championship.
Liam Lawson’s introduction to Formula One has been a rollercoaster ride. He had to wait for his first opportunity, and snatched it with both hands for Racing Bulls. He was then promoted to Red Bull over Sergio Perez, but Lawson lasted only two races before being demoted this season.
Red Bull’s second seat problems are well-documented and go far beyond Lawson. Every driver has struggled as Max Verstappen’s teammate. With that said, the New Zealander is considering leaving Red Bull to win a World Championship.
Liam Lawson says he may leave Red Bull to win a World Championship
Lawson’s time in the Red Bull seat was over before it started. But he joined the prestigious Red Bull Driver Academy at 17, and raced with them from Formula 3 all the way to Formula One.
He’s been deeply ingrained in the team and always dreamed of racing for the first team, but after his short stint as Verstappen’s teammate, his eyes drift elsewhere.
He told Sky Sports, “It’s tough. I wanted to be a Red Bull racing driver. That’s what I worked towards from becoming a Red Bull junior. The dream I had since I was five years old was to become a world champion. To win in F1 and reach the top of the sport.
“That is what I’ve worked towards, that’s more or less where my dream is set and where my goal sits. To become the best, that’s what we’re all working towards, and where I do that is not so clear. Not as much as I thought it was.”
Lawson reflected on his time in the Red Bull seat and expressed that he has some regrets. He continued, “Doing it over again, there are probably things that, yes, maybe you can do differently. You always learn things and look back in hindsight. There are always things you can do better.”
Liam Lawson remembers when he realised Max Verstappen was on another level
Not a single driver has matched the level of Verstappen as his teammate in recent seasons. The four-time world champion has eaten alive the likes of Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly, and even the experienced race-winner Sergio Perez couldn’t match Verstappen.
He’s the best driver on the F1 grid, and Lawson said he realised that in his first weekend in the sport.
He said, “The thing that did it for me was my first time in F1 was [at Zandvoort], and I’ll never forget that in practice 3 was my first time driving the car. I was just battling around, trying to get comfortable.
“I came to the last corner, and it was wet. Max was behind, and I let him by. He came around me, and I watched the way he just slid around the corner out to the kerb on the exit, and after watching him do that, I was like, ‘I am nowhere near that comfortable to just let it slide.’
“I came around the next lap, and I spun the car. That was when I slid down the track at the end of practice.”
New Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies is giving the second driver more of a chance, putting them in equal machinery. There is a feeling that Red Bull has designed the car to Verstappen’s extreme requirements, and that means other drivers struggle.
Lawson didn’t dismiss that claim, but also said that Verstappen can come to terms with any car quicker than other drivers.
He said, “You get there over time, I think, and he’s been there a long time, and I don’t know if the car is built around him or whatever. He’s just at the point where he’s that comfortable. Maybe for him, he’s just able to get there a lot quicker.”