When Purple Bull determined who to cross Method 1’s poisoned chalice to for 2025, one issue outweighed all others in deciding on Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s teammate. Efficiency mattered, however extra necessary was the strong mindset required to thrive the place his predecessors have failed. It’s a logical criterion to prioritize, however one doubtlessly resulting in different issues given the mentality intrinsic to any profitable racing driver.
It’s an exaggeration to say Verstappen is a career-killer given Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon rose once more in F1, albeit to diminished heights, whereas Sergio Perez is licking his wounds forward of a attainable return in 2026, however all of them sustained heavy harm from sharing a storage with him. Racing historical past is stuffed with succesful drivers made to look third-rate by direct comparability to an all-time nice, however Purple Bull believes – or maybe extra precisely, hopes – Lawson has what it takes to keep away from that destiny. The New Zealander, at 22 and with simply 11 grand prix begins sprinkled throughout two seasons beneath his belt, is seen as sufficiently broad-shouldered to hold the load of what has turn out to be an not possible task.
The query of an athlete’s mindset is far mentioned and well known as a significant part of their sporting make-up, but it’s additionally poorly outlined and tough to research and check besides by means of trial by hearth in competitors. Lawson has proved he’s assured, carrying himself with an boastful swagger typical of many top-level grand prix drivers each inside and outdoors of the automotive. His CV is mild on titles – the 2019 Toyota Racing Sequence is his most illustrious championship win in automobiles – however consists of wins in any respect ranges. Typically, he begins strongly, which helps the notion he’s by no means overawed by a step up. Nevertheless, there’s a suspicion his development then plateaus.
Purple Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has set an unambiguous goal for Lawson, who “ought to be inside three-tenths of Max in each qualifying and the race,” together with contributing the factors wanted to win the constructors’ championship and the expectation “he also needs to steadily improve his efficiency – if attainable.” These are broadly the identical set of goals Gasly, Albon and Perez failed to attain, for whereas Perez contributed to constructors’ titles in 2022 and ’23, these had been in seasons the place Purple Bull had a big efficiency benefit. When it was shut in ’21 and ’24, he value it. Lawson’s problem is to keep away from being a weak hyperlink.
Marko additionally claims Lawson’s “psychological energy tipped the scales.” Whereas he and Purple Bull group principal Christian Horner aren’t at all times on the identical web page in relation to the decision-making course of, they’re aligned right here.
“What has actually stood out with him has been his perspective and his skill to take care of strain,”says Horner. “All of the rookies appeared slightly bit like rookies in Brazil [in the wet]. Liam didn’t drop the automotive, he didn’t make any errors. He’s appeared a seasoned campaigner. When you have a look at his performances, he’s agile as properly. We put him in a DTM automotive for a 12 months alongside Alex Albon; he was very fast. He races laborious, and he’s received broad shoulders. You want that to be in that seat.
“Liam has received the precise character to have the ability to address the strain of being Max’s teammate and the expectations on him are very clear. We’re not anticipating him to beat Max, Max is a generational expertise. The target is to get as shut as he can and bag as many factors as he can, in order that we don’t have a 285-point deficit between the automobiles.”
Purple Bull’s management insists that it’s not blind to the dangers of pairing the comparatively unseasoned Lawson with Verstappen, however believes the Kiwi’s psychological energy will assist him succeed the place others struggled. Andrew Ferraro/Motorsport Pictures
This sounds promising and it’s conceivable Lawson may settle into this position comfortably, changing into Eddie Irvine to Verstappen’s Michael Schumacher. When Irvine signed as much as be Schumacher’s teammate, he knew it was as quantity two and really publicly embraced it, ending his four-year stint at Maranello with a quartet of grand prix wins and an unsuccessful tilt on the world championship in ’99. However Irvine is a rarity; extra usually the psychology is that of the usurper – doubly so for the reason that “grasp and apprentice” strategy that after held sway in grand prix racing light away many years in the past.
Lawson will say all the precise issues and head into a troublesome season along with his eyes open. Intellectually, he’ll embrace the mission of being Verstappen’s wing man, however he might be conflicted. Racing drivers, at the very least those who make it to this stage on advantage, are aggressive beasts normally with the utter conviction they’ll beat anybody. Their careers are constructed upon the expectation they may get within the automotive and be sooner, higher, extra profitable than each driver they face. The conviction could be whittled away at by time for world-weary campaigners, however not somebody of Lawson’s age. There’s little doubt that his mentality gained’t simply be of being a superb quantity two – deep down, he’ll consider he can depose Verstappen.
Lawson is an abrasive competitor and in his six 2024 outings earned himself a repute for being a troublesome rival in wheel-to-wheel fight. Whereas happenstance meant he usually crossed paths with Perez, there’s no query he knew the importance of battles with the driving force he was in competition to interchange. Relatively than being cowed by this, he backed himself and wasn’t afraid of risking irritating his paymasters by exhibiting that this was his time. Marko, specifically, can have beloved this strategy.
Verstappen is a very totally different proposition to Perez, however Lawson will see him as simply one other skittle to be knocked down in his profession development. The best quantity two drivers are normally those that don’t know – or relatively haven’t accepted –that is their lot in life. Valtteri Bottas exemplified this at Mercedes, coming again yearly decided to barge Lewis Hamilton out of his group chief position and repeatedly failing. Ideally, you desire a driver who can maintain dusting themselves down and get again up once more as a result of they may get the very best from themselves and maintain their teammate on their toes. However this may’t final ceaselessly and ultimately such resolve is eroded.
The impact might be delayed for Lawson given he maybe can hark again to the previous days of studying from a star driver because of Verstappen being courted by rival groups forward of a attainable transfer away from Purple Bull. Had been that to occur for ’26 then Lawson can fulfill himself by being shut sufficient this 12 months to be seen as a reputable group chief sooner or later. Nevertheless, that’s a slim set of circumstances, contingent on components outdoors of his management.
Each empire falls. Nice drivers seem like omnipotent entities who will eternally prevail, till all of a sudden sooner or later they aren’t. They survive assault from numerous rivals however ultimately, for no matter purpose, might be deposed. Lawson should consider he could be that agent of change as a result of that comes with the territory of his sturdy mindset, which might be based upon the knowledge he could be higher than anybody.
Objectively, that is vastly bold and there’s no purpose to consider Lawson can pull it off. In actual fact, the proof of his profession factors to a driver who is sweet relatively than nice – which means he has the power to have an extended and completed grand prix profession, however not a Verstappen-beating one. Nevertheless, the mentality of drivers is just not, and in some ways can not, be so goal by way of placing a ceiling on their potential. In the event that they did, would any ever set foot on the trail to F1, given the ludicrously lengthy odds of creating it?
Verstappen’s reign will finish sooner or later. Lawson might be privately backing himself to hurry that course of alongside. Purple Bull Content material Pool
Let’s say Lawson does do higher than that three-tenths deficit and in some way begins pushing Verstappen, then he might be minded to maneuver in for the kill. This implies all of the qualities which have helped him get there may turn out to be an issue for Purple Bull – the killer intuition, the self-confidence, the strong mentality. Unlikely as it’s, it’s not solely not possible.
The corollary is he experiences what nearly each driver does ultimately – the psychological battering of being instantly in comparison with somebody emphatically higher than you. Subsequently, Purple Bull wants Lawson to string the needle – he must be shut sufficient to contribute with out being an issue however not fall into confusion and despondency. Verstappen teammates have a behavior of getting misplaced, and if that occurs it’s a troublesome wilderness to seek out your manner out of. The draw back of a rock-solid mentality is, if you’re destabilized, you possibly can fall far and rapidly.
Purple Bull has determined Lawson is the very best candidate for the job, or at the very least from amongst its present steady. You would argue it’s making the identical previous mistake by swinging again to selling an inexperienced younger driver, operating a threat of a repeat of the failure of Gasly and Albon. Horner is sensible sufficient to just accept there’s a threat of this, however once more argues Lawson is totally different.
“The hazard is there’s a repeat of that, however Liam is a distinct character,” says Horner. “He’s a distinct persona, in a position to take care of the strain. He’s proven an actual resilience and energy of character with the chance that’s been supplied. And he drives the automotive similarly to Max, he doesn’t shrink back from having a really optimistic entrance finish within the automotive. So by way of driving traits, it will likely be simpler for the automobiles to run extra intently collectively in set-up.”
Horner’s level about driving model is necessary as too usually its quantity twos have turn out to be misplaced in set-up experiments. A driver’s tolerances outline how one can develop and run a automotive and Verstappen, like Schumacher, likes a sharp automotive on turn-in. The quickest automotive theoretically will at all times have that instability on turn-in however requires the driving force to have a really exact really feel and talent to proactively management the rear.
Verstappen was confounded at instances final 12 months when restricted by understeer as a result of it imposed an easier-to-access however decrease restrict of the automotive. Nevertheless, the query is whether or not Lawson actually can match that model. He does prefer to push the rotation within the entries and due to this fact a rear finish with a level of instability, however he should keep away from falling into the entice of making an attempt to attain that with late braking. Gasly suffered from that, usually braking later than Verstappen, affected by under-rotation consequently, then complaining of a scarcity of traction in nook exits as a result of he was successfully driving an extended nook.
Lawson will study a lot from Verstappen, not solely by way of the way to be fast but additionally the artwork of tire administration. It’s unclear simply how robust a problem he’ll face this season given it stays to be seen how aggressive Purple Bull is after its 2024 troubles. However one factor is definite – Lawson heads into the brand new season with absolute confidence and a certainty that he gained’t articulate publicly that he could be the one to defeat Verstappen.
Lawson would by no means have made it this far if he didn’t. However for all of Purple Bull’s confidence in him, there’s no manner of understanding how he’ll actually reply to what could be a punishing scenario for many drivers. His psychological energy won’t ever have been examined like this earlier than and given it’s vanishingly unlikely he’ll have the ability to ship on the hopes of usurping F1’s prime canine, which might deliver its personal issues, even Lawson gained’t actually know the way he’ll stand as much as it.
All we will know for positive is that proper now, earlier than the truth of the struggle units in, he might be quietly assured that he can flip this troublesome alternative right into a career-making one. And that basic fact signifies that if, or extra realistically when, he can’t, no person is aware of how he’ll reply.
