Liam Lawson’s Red Bull performance expectations as promotion opportunity addressed

Liam Lawson has revealed what Red Bull expects from him in the final races of F1 2024 as he climbs into a VCARB race seat.

The Kiwi driver has spent the past 12 months on the sidelines as a reserve for both Red Bull F1 teams, but will take over from Daniel Ricciardo’s vacant cockpit for the final six races of the 2024 F1 championship.

Liam Lawson: The goal is to score points

Having impressed during his five-race run last year when he replaced Ricciardo at AlphaTauri when the Australian injured his hand in a crash, Lawson returns with a markedly different dynamic as he bids to secure a seat full time for F1. 2025

But given that he hasn’t taken part in any race series this year and, apart from a handful of test opportunities, hasn’t been behind the wheel of an F1 car much in the past 12 months, what exactly are the goals that have been set? in front of Lawson to achieve this goal?

“Basically, they expect him to perform at least as well as Yuki, I’d say that’s the goal of the team,” Lawson explained to the F1 Nation podcast

“They want him to match it and basically perform. They want points.

“Obviously, the team is fighting for sixth place in Constructors, and that’s very important for VCARB, so basically scoring points is the goal.

“If we’re scoring points, I think, at this point, we’re basically doing a good job.

“So, honestly, that’s the goal that’s been set. But we’re always evaluated. It’s been like that since I was 16, joining Red Bull, it’s always a performance that’s always under evaluation.

“So it’s no different than it’s always been.”

For now, Lawson’s obvious aim is simply to secure the vacant cockpit at VCARB for F1 2025, but the possibility of him jumping immediately to Red Bull Racing for next season has also been mooted in recent months.

Sergio Perez has struggled for most of this season, helping the Milton Keynes side slip to second in the Championship, but the recent discovery and recognition of the team’s development misstep may have returned to put the Mexican pilot on a more uniform keel.

Perez is under contract with Red Bull for F1 2025 but, should the team opt for a switch, Lawson is one of the main candidates to fill in alongside Max Verstappen, but is not thinking much of that possibility right now, as it is not confirmed by any seat yet.

“It’s not on my mind,” he said.

“But I am definitely aware that being in the second team of Red Bull Racing is the future, if I do a good job, it will be there.

“My goal is to go to Red Bull Racing in the future and I know that, obviously, also from their side, they are trying to look for the future, for when Max or Checo (Pérez) end up somewhere.

“So they always need drivers to be ready for that. So basically I’m aware that if I do a good job, that’s where my future is.

“When that might happen, it’s not something I’m really thinking about because I know it will depend entirely on how I go in my current seat.”

More about Red Bull in F1

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Liam Lawson: Helmut Marko’s pressure set me up for it

With just six races to decide his F1 2025 future, the pressure is real on Lawson to step up and perform at a level to convince his Red Bull bosses that he deserves a full-time seat.

It’s a big challenge for Lawson given his lack of preparation and time behind the wheel compared to his rivals on the grid, but the Kiwi said the pressure he feels is something he’s prepared for good for the Red Bull junior’s “sink or swim” approach. program directed by Helmut Marko.

“The hardest part is when you’re really young,” she said of the program.

“For me, when I was 16, 17 and 17, my first year with Red Bull was about not being with a junior team and just having my lads from New Zealand who helped me get to where I was. at this point, to have Red Bull Racing and have Dr. Marko calling and pushing you.

“That was the thing that was really hard for me to deal with.”

Asked about Marko’s methods, Lawson said, “Usually it’s a 6 a.m. phone call or something! And it’ll be, ‘You’ve got to perform better. Next weekend, if you’re not better, you’ve got problems’.

“You know basically you need to win races. A lot of times if you haven’t had a good race, ‘if that continues, you might not have a future with this team.’

“It’s very disheartening. But honestly, dealing with it, I’m very grateful that I went through this with Helmut, honestly.

“Being at this point now and coming into F1, there’s a lot of pressure to step in and, not having that kind of pressure from a young age, I don’t think he’ll step up at this end of the season or make a not like last year, for example, I don’t think I would have been able to face it without having spent five years with Helmut”.

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