Top Formula 1 teams often avoid giving number one status to one of their drivers in public these days, but Red Bull have made it clear Liam Lawson is not to try challenging Max Verstappen

One day after dropping Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing officially picked 22-year-old Liam Lawson to be Max Verstappen's teammate next season.

Liam Lawson will replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen's Red Bull partner for the 2025 F1 season, but there's one thing that irks the driver about the set-up

Max Verstappen believes the identity of his teammate next season "won’t matter" as long as Red Bull can produce a fast car.

Liam Lawson will race alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in 2025 for the first time but the two know each other well as the Kiwi has been an academy member for years

Lawson, 22, has already been through his fair share of drama since stepping up to F1. There were complaints when he replaced fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo and supporters of Sergio Perez similarly came out in their numbers to vent about the Mexican driver losing his seat.

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has been dealt a huge blow, as Red Bull face a key team change this year, according to reports. The Dutchman managed to claim his fourth world title despite trickier circumstances in 2024,

Red Bull expects Liam Lawson to closely match Max Verstappen's performance within three-tenths of a second as he joins the senior team in 2025, replacing Sergio Perez.

Max Verstappen has said the name of the driver in the other Red Bull cockpit is far less important than the car itself as he looks to retain the Drivers’ title. The Dutchman won his fourth championship in 2024 and did so by dragging an underperforming RB20 to the front – but he has warned that fixing the car is the biggest challenge the Milton Keynes team face.