Liam Lawson is set to make his full-season debut with Red Bull Racing this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix, calling it a "big opportunity" as he prepares to race alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
The 23-year-old New Zealander replaces Sergio Perez after just 11 Grand Prix outings with Red Bull’s junior team, Racing Bulls, across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Despite his relatively short F1 tenure, Lawson is determined to make his mark at the sport’s elite level.
Reflecting on pre-season testing in Bahrain, he expressed confidence in his readiness for the season opener. “It’s obviously a big opportunity for me, and one that I’m very excited for,” he said.
A full pre-season for the first time
Unlike his previous part-time stints, Lawson now benefits from a complete pre-season programme with Red Bull.
“It’s the first time that I’ve had a proper pre-season, so it’s been quite strange to have so much time. It feels like honestly, now, I’m ready to go racing,” he explained.
While he has been part of the Red Bull system for years as a test and reserve driver, this will be his first full-time season in a race seat.
“To work with this team has been something that I’ve done for quite a few years as test and reserve, so it doesn’t exactly feel new, the relationships are all there. But just to know that obviously I’ll be racing [now] is very, very exciting.”
Red Bull’s form heading into Melbourne
Red Bull enters the season as the team to beat, with Verstappen chasing a fifth consecutive title.
However, pre-season testing in Bahrain revealed some "teething gremlins" in the RB21, which Lawson acknowledged.
Despite this, the team remains confident in their overall pace heading into Melbourne.
Lawson rejects rookie label
Though officially considered one of six rookies on the 2025 grid - including Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Alpine’s Jack Doohan - Lawson is reluctant to call himself one.
“I feel like a rookie in Melbourne and those tracks… the tracks I haven’t done, for sure,” he acknowledged. “But in F1? No. I’ve been in the paddock long enough, I’ve obviously done enough races, to know how the sport works and to understand it.”
With Red Bull’s notoriously high driver turnover, Lawson faces a significant challenge in securing his long-term future within the team.
However, if he can match or challenge Verstappen’s pace, he has the chance to cement himself as a mainstay on the grid.