Liam Lawson will take over from the outgoing Sergio Perez to become world champion Max Verstappen's team-mate at Red Bull Racing. (More Motorsport News)
๐The 22-year-old New Zealander will step up from his spot on sister team RB, having started just 11 Formula One races over the space of two seasons.
Lawson had initially been the reserve driver for RB, prior to Daniel Ricciardo๐ being dropped and replaced by Lawson after the Singapore Grand Prix in the 2024 season.
เนThe news comes just a day after it was announced that Perez would be leaving Red Bull, despite having signed a two-year contract extension in June.
๊ฆPerez was ousted from the team following a loss of form that saw him go the entire 2024 season without winning a race, ultimately finishing eighth in the Drivers' Championship.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner๐ผ wanted to focus of the positives following Lawson's arrival, with him having been promoted from within.
๐งHis arrival continues the teamโs long history of promoting from within the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and, of course, Max Verstappen," he said.
๊ฆ"Thereโs no doubt that racing alongside Max, a four-time champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers ever seen in F1, is a daunting task, but Iโm sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.โ
๐Lawson, meanwhile, was full of gratitude for being given the role.
๐โTo be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver is a lifelong dream for me, this is something Iโve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old. Itโs been an incredible journey so far," he said.
๐"I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step."