The Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team has been in near-tatters throughout 2024, losing the Constructors’ championship to McLaren and finishing third behind Ferrari. Though Liam Lawson is now joining the squad for 2025, did Red Bull maybe miss out on signing a driver with a known quantity?
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Red Bull Racing had its fair share of drama in 2024. From team boss Christian Horner being investigated for inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague to him and champion-driver Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, having a public spat, it just wasn’t all that kosher at the team. Oh, and don’t forget legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey departing amid the turmoil and joining Aston Martin’s F1 project.
That’s all off the track! On-track, Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez struggled to come to grips with the underperforming RB20, with both drivers struggling to reenact their dominant 2023 performance, winning 19 of the 21 races between them. Yet, 2024 was a disastrous year for the defending champions as they made peace with the fact that both McLaren and Ferrari were better entities. Still, Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive F1 Drivers’ championship, and his points alone were enough to see Red Bull finish P4 in the championship when you remove Perez’s contribution (P1 v P8, 437 points v 152).
Though Red Bull took its time regarding its flailing driver pairing and considered all the options, the team and Perez agreed that it’d be best to part ways ahead of the 2025 season, albeit at the cost of a few million dollars for the Milton Keynes-based team. As such, Red Bull opted to sign 22-year-old New Zealander Liam Lawson to replace Perez and partner with the man known for devouring his teammates. Make no mistake: Lawson is an impressive driver and the team made a solid choice in signing him, but he is a youngster wanting to prove himself.
And that then begs the question: wasn’t there perhaps an alternative?
The Bottas Factor
While some thought that Red Bull would finally give Yuki Tsunoda the chance to step up from the B-team (RB Honda RBPT), it didn’t happen. Sure, Tsunoda’s mannerisms are erratic at times and he is a bit of a hot-head, but he has been in the Red Bull fold for several years now. And seeing Lawson, a driver with 11 Grands Prix to his name, being called up, that’s got to sting.
But above both drivers, there is perhaps one Horner and co. should have considered: Valtteri Bottas. The Finn has been in F1 since 2012 and raced with Williams, Mercedes, and Sauber (in its various guises). Yet, for all his experience, 2024 was one of Bottas’ toughest yet, being the only full-time driver to not have scored a point. But before we blame Bottas, the 2024 Sauber was a dog to drive and the slowest car by far. Still, Bottas put in solid performances.
Beyond that, his time at Mercedes (2017 – 2021) secured him ten victories and decent finishing positions in the championship (2017: P3; 2018: P5; 2019: P2; 2020: P2; 2021: P3), even if it was finishing behind star driver Lewis Hamilton in every season they were teammates. Though he never exhibited traits of a driver capable of winning the Drivers’ championship, he is consistent. He is there to pick up the slack if anything should go awry with the team’s lead driver and he will put the team first, no matter the cost. Even if it meant foregoing a victory.
While one can understand Red Bull’s decision to opt for youth, Bottas would have arguably been the perfect wingman to Verstappen’s championship assault. Turning 36 in August, Bottas realises that his time in the sport is almost up and that going up against a teammate of Verstappen’s calibre will not yield the fruits of a title. He’s been in this type of situation before with Hamilton at Mercedes, and he would not ruffle feathers in a bid to prove himself or his worth.
With Sauber opting for a new driver line-up in 2025, Bottas returns to Mercedes as the team’s official third driver.
The Unknown Quantity
Lawson, on the other hand, is a gamble for Red Bull. Yes, he comes from their junior programme and he has shown immense promise, but he is a youngster filled with the intention to prove himself. Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Perez all failed against Verstappen, which is why Horner and the team’s motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, cautioned Lawson to focus on playing second fiddle and not wanting to topple and overthrow Verstappen in a futile battle for supremacy.
Horner said of Lawson’s arrival at the team:
“There’s 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 I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us [in 2025].”
With Verstappen’s Red Bull future not 100% guaranteed amid talks of him possibly jumping ship to another team or retiring from the sport altogether – even before his contract ends in 2028 – the team had to make a call on its driver line-up with one eye on the future. Lawson fits the bill as a driver who can take the baton from Verstappen one day, but for now, he must focus on establishing himself within the team. And for that, he might have to take several pages out of Bottas’ book.
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