“He’s going to be very tough to match”: Liam Lawson candidly admits to Max Verstappen’s superiority level at Red Bull

Liam Lawson recently talked about how hard it would be for him to race against Max Verstappen in 2025. The New Zealander will soon join Red Bull next year, replacing Sergio Perez.

After Checo's performance dipped in the 2024 F1 season, rumors surfaced that he could be replaced by Red Bull's other junior drivers like Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, or even Daniel Ricciardo. Though the Mexican managed to keep his seat till the end of the season, the team announced his departure a few days after the Abu Dhabi GP. Red Bull further announced Liam Lawson's arrival to the team.

Lawson will be racing against Verstappen, who has a strong track record of obliterating his teammates. Previously, drivers like Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have suffered quite a lot at Red Bull alongside the Dutchman. Though Perez was able to consistently finish near Verstappen in the standings when he first joined, his performance was at its worst in 2024.

Speaking on the Pitstop Podcast, Lawson initially stated that he would get the chance to see how Verstappen operated at such a high level. He then admitted that matching his skill would be a tall order.

"The guy has literally won the last four World titles. He's the best in the world right now and I get every session I get to see exactly what he's doing all of his data all of his," Lawson said.

"For me as a driver, obviously I know going in it's going to be very hard. There's going to be a lot of pressure there going to be very tough and obviously he's going to be very tough to match in terms of pace. But in terms of development, for me, there's nobody better to learn from than him," he added.

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Liam Lawson touches on his personal relationship with Max Verstappen

Liam Lawson also talked about his positive personal relationship with Max Verstappen.

Speaking on the podcast, Lawson shared how the four-time world champion watched his Super Formula race and discussed it with enthusiasm. The 22-year-old also praised Verstappen's simple and "down-to-earth" personality.

I think its pretty good. He loves motorsports, he was watching Super Formula sometimes. [When] I'd be the reserve [driver], I'd come from Japan to a [F1] race and he was like talking about the race I just had. He's always been like real nice, he's such a nice dude out of the car, like really nice guy and really down to earth and and, you know, very normal. I'd say the relationship is good," Lawson said.

While Liam Lawson heads to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, Red Bull junior, Isack Hadjar, gets the opportunity to enter F1 with Racing Bulls (RB) in 2025 after finishing second in the F2 championship.