Former AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has cautioned Liam Lawson to tread carefully next season at Red Bull Racing alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
Tost, who played a pivotal role in nurturing Lawson’s talent during his formative years in Red Bull’s junior programme, has urged the Kiwi driver to focus on his own progress rather than attempting to measure himself against Verstappen – a driver he describes as “one of the greatest of all time.”
Lawson, who impressed during a series of substitute appearances with AlphaTauri in 2023 and then again with RB this season was chosen over Yuki Tsunoda to fill the coveted Red Bull seat vacated by Sergio Perez.
However, history shows that partnering Verstappen can be a daunting task, as Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon learned to their detriment as the Dutchman’s teammates.
Reflecting on Lawson’s potential and the challenges ahead, Tost shared his insights with German website F1-Insider.
“Both Tsunoda and Lawson deserved the promotion,” reckoned Tost.
“All I can say about Liam is that he needs to do his own thing and never try to compete with Max Verstappen.
“Max is one of the greatest of all time, on a par with Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. He is nowhere near his peak and has endless potential.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also recognizes the challenge Lawson faces. Speaking to ESPN, the Briton emphasized the importance of managing expectations for the 23-year-old rookie.
“I think the key thing is not to put too much pressure on him and not to put too much pressure on himself that he’s going out against the best driver of his generation,” Horner explained.
“And I think that he just needs to almost ignore the data of what’s going on on Car 1 and just focus with his own engineering team, what he’s doing, and just do the best job that he can, and he’ll be fine. And hopefully we can support him in that.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to provide a car that suits him as well as Max next year, and we’ll see how he goes.”
For his part, Lawson sees the challenge as an opportunity rather than a burden. The New Zealander remains optimistic about the benefits of working alongside Verstappen, viewing it as a unique chance to accelerate his development as an F1 driver.
“I think it would be the biggest challenge to go up against Max,” Lawson said, quoted by Motorsport Week.
“In a way it’s the best seat on the grid to be in. You get to learn directly off the best guy. To have access to his data every single session, to see exactly how he’s performing.
“For me as a driver who’s come into Formula 1, and is developing, it’s the best possible situation for me to be in.”
Verstappen’s ability to extract every ounce of performance from his car, combined with his composure under pressure, has made him an intimidating teammate for even the most talented drivers.
As Lawson steps into this high-pressure environment, Tost’s advice to “do his own thing” and Horner’s focus on managing expectations could prove crucial to the young driver’s success.
Whether Lawson thrives or falters alongside Verstappen will likely define the next phase of his career and determine if he can establish himself as a genuine contender in Formula 1.
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