Ex-F1 team boss SHOCKINGLY advises Liam Lawson to never compete with ‘best of all-time’ Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Liam Lawson has replaced Sergio Perez on the Red Bull Formula 1 team for the 2025 season.

Ex-F1 team boss SHOCKINGLY advises Liam Lawson to never compete with ‘best of all-time’ Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen (via Getty Images)

Liam Lawson will drive alongside the four-time world champion Max Verstappen in 2025. He has been entrusted with the second Red Bull seat and while pundits have mixed opinions about it, the Ex-RB boss Franz Tost has advised Lawson to not compete with the Dutchman.

Max Verstappen has been destroying his Red Bull teammates for a long time in F1. From Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon to the recently sacked Sergio Perez, they all came and perished facing the music alongside Verstappen.

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In light of the above and Verstappen’s strong F1 run, Franz Tost came up with some advice for Liam Lawson.

All I can say to Liam is that he needs to focus on his own tasks and never try to compete with Verstappen. Max is one of the greatest of all time, on par with Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. He isn’t even close to his peak and has infinite potential.

Franz Tost via F1-Insider

In the 2024 F1 season, the 27-year-old won his fourth-consecutive world championship and amassed an impressive 437 points. On the other hand, his teammate Perez could only conjure up 152. The former also managed nine Grand Prix wins whereas the Mexican driver couldn’t score even one.

Yuki Tsunoda also ‘deserved’ to join the Milton-Keynes-based Red Bull

While Franz Tost has asked Liam Lawson to focus on his own performances in 2025, he also feels Yuki Tsunoda could have been promoted instead of the New Zealander. For next year’s Red Bull seat, Tsunoda and Lawson were the main candidates.

Yuki Tsunoda (via IMAGO)
Yuki Tsunoda (via IMAGO)

Moreover, statistically, the Japanese driver had the upper hand on Lawson in their RB head-to-head.

Both Tsunoda and Lawson deserved the promotion.

Franz Tost via the same interview

Lawson will have several eyes glued on him in the highly anticipated 2025 F1 season. It will be immensely important for him to hit the ground running in the Red Bull challenger.

However, in case things go wrong, Christian Horner and Co. will not hesitate in dropping Lawson mid-season. They have done it in the past and could happen again.

The beneficiary in this could turn out to be Tsunoda who would finally get his chance on the main team! The 24-year-old has been driving for the junior Red Bull outfit since the start of the 2021 season. In light of this, many felt that Tsunoda was the deserving driver for a promotion.