“Things changed very quickly”: Liam Lawson reveals the moment Red Bull leadership green-lit his breakthrough F1 opportunity

Liam Lawson revealed that Red Bull Racing’s leadership decided to sign him as a Visa Cashapp RB F1 driver during the Azerbaijan GP. Speaking to F1TV ahead of the 2024 United States GP, the New Zealander shared that he knew he would get a chance to race in 2024 at some stage.

Now signed to VCARB for the remaining six races, Lawson will replace Daniel Ricciardo. The decision was made during the Azerbaijan GP and announced after the Singapore GP. The New Zealander reckoned that the decision was communicated to him by Red Bull management in Baku. Although Christian Horner assured him of an opportunity last year, the 22-year-old admitted feeling impatient due to ongoing uncertainty and frequent performance swings in the driver lineup.

Asked when he was told about being a driver for VCARB for the rest of 2024, Liam Lawson said:

“Baku basically was the point that I was told. As I said things change very quickly during the year and there were points in the year when things were looking good and then there were points when it wasn’t looking so good. So I always knew that the incentive was to give me a shot and I’ve known that since last year. Christian told me that personally. So I knew that they wanted to give me a shot at some point and I trusted that as well.”

“But obviously its hard to, after that amount of time, its hard to be patient and for me obviously as much as I believed it, it was getting quite difficult. But it was leading towards that direction or this direction, not exactly where I was going to go but that I was going to get a seat somewhere. That was the direction it was heading in for the last few weeks leading up to Singapore. And then it was Baku basically where they gave me the decision.”

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Liam Lawson feels no pressure racing without a 2025 seat guarantee

Liam Lawson doesn't feel pressured to perform in the next six races, despite not having a guaranteed seat for 2025. He believes his previous five-race stint replacing Daniel Ricciardo in 2023 was more demanding.

The New Zealander stepped in for Ricciardo, who injured his hand during free practice at Zandvoort. Lawson noted that even with a full season, a driver's performance is often judged by only the last two races due to the short public memory. As a result, he views the performance landscape in F1 and at Red Bull as constantly shifting, where momentum can change in just a couple of races.

Asked if there was more pressure driving the next six races without the guarantee of a seat in 2025, Liam Lawson said:

“I would say honestly I don think its more pressure. Last year you know knowing each weekend was potentially my last, that added more pressure. But now I think that anytime you are in Formula 1, even if you’ve had a full season a great season, it can change very quickly. People only remember the last one or two races and if they’re not good then you are under pressure again. So I think our sport’s performance based, specially Red Bull has always been like that. And thats something I’ve been dealing with since I was obviously quite young. I have been with Red Bull for almost six years now. So I would say that, that is nothing really new.”

Despite the opportunity to race in the next six events, Liam Lawson has yet to secure a seat for the 2025 season. Speculation suggests that these races could be a shootout between him and Yuki Tsunoda to replace Sergio Perez in the senior Red Bull team.

However, Christian Horner hinted that Daniel Ricciardo could also be in the running if Lawson does not perform. Currently, VCARB sits sixth in the constructors' standings, just three points ahead of Haas F1. Lawson will also incur an engine penalty at the USGP in Austin, making the next six races crucial for the 22-year-old, three of which will feature the sprint format.