Pink Bull Racing crew principal Christian Horner admits there’s a hazard of Liam Lawson struggling throughout the crew’s setting by being promoted too quickly.
Lawson has been picked to associate Max Verstappen in 2025 regardless of having began simply 11 grands prix, with the extra skilled Yuki Tsunoda ignored to exchange Sergio Perez. The Mexican had been introduced in after each Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon struggled within the Pink Bull seat early of their careers, and Horner acknowledges the dangers which might be related to younger drivers.
“Look, the hazard is there’s a repeat of that,” Horner mentioned. “However I feel that Liam is a special character. He’s a special persona to have the ability to take care of that stress. I feel he’s proven actual resilience and energy of character with the chance that’s been supplied to have to show up and get on with it and ship — and he’s finished that.
Joe Portlock/Getty Photos/Pink Bull Content material Pool
“The plan initially wasn’t for that to be accelerated for this 12 months. circumstances have dictated with Checo sadly not having an incredible season — that has been accelerated. However we consider the place Liam is on the trajectory that he’s on, that may solely enhance.
“And he drives the automotive in a similar way to Max. He doesn’t shrink back from having a really constructive entrance finish within the automotive. So I feel by way of driving attribute, it will likely be simpler for the automobiles to run extra intently collectively in setup.”
Horner believes having a transparent hierarchy with Verstappen because the lead driver is now a special state of affairs that ought to take the stress off Lawson in comparison with juniors which have gone earlier than him.
“Daniel [Ricciardo] and Max have been a robust pairing. We then had two juniors that struggled. And that’s why clearly Checo then stepped into the automotive for the ’21 season and coped with the pressures of that effectively.
“I feel the opposite issue that we’re targeted very laborious on is ensuring that we’re making a wider working window with RB21 than RB20’s very slim, very peaky efficiency window. So for us, to create a broader window will hopefully solely assist Liam discover a extra, maybe forgiving automotive than RB20 might be from time to time.
“I feel one of many issues we’ll be seeking to shield Liam from is expectation. After all, when Alex and Pierre have been with the crew, Max wasn’t a four-time world champion. He hadn’t gained a world championship at that time. We’ve a really clear positioning within the crew with the place Max is at in his profession and what we want from the second driver.”
