F1 News: Former Team Owner Names Ideal 2025 Red Bull Driver Alongside Max Verstappen

Saajan Jogia | Nov 9, 2024

MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 01: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 01, 2024 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) / Red Bull Content Pool

Former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan has named VCARB driver Liam Lawson as the ideal candidate to race alongside Max Verstappen in 2025. According to Jordan, Lawson’s performance during the recent Sao Paulo Grand Prix was hugely impressive, prompting him to call the young New Zealander “the real deal.”

Lawson, who spent nearly a year waiting on the sidelines as Red Bull’s reserve driver, finally got his chance to prove himself when he was named Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement following the Singapore Grand Prix. Red Bull is currently weighing Lawson against his teammate Yuki Tsunoda as a possible successor to Sergio Perez, should Perez’s performance decline further.

The Mexican driver remains under Red Bull's scanner considering the vast points gap between him and Verstappen, which led the outfit to lose the lead in the Constructors' Championship to McLaren before losing second place to Ferrari.

Jordan believes that Lawson's recent performance in Brazil was particularly impressive, where he secured a 9th-place finish in the sprint race and qualified P5 in a challenging wet Grand Prix, ultimately finishing 9th. In contrast, Perez only managed 11th, which further highlighted Lawson’s potential. Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast with former F1 driver David Coulthard, Jordan believes Lawson is the driver to look out for in 2025. He said:

“The person who stood out for me, and I have to be honest, Lawson, is the real deal here.

“He drove with a lot of pressure, and he knows how to handle himself. He had not got the car that Lewis [Hamilton] had, he has not got the car that other people had, but he displayed a level of competence that I was super impressed with. He’s ready to fly in 2025.

“Perez, you know, how many chances has he had? Do you think he’ll have a drive next year? Not a chance.

“Lovely, lovely, lovely guy – but we know lovely guys don’t win you Grands Prix. Whereas Lawson is the deal, he’s part of the family there, part of the makeup, and he is the person that should be in that car.”

Coulthard added his perspective:

“I’m not going to disagree with the fact Checo [is a] lovely guy.

“He has been a Grand Prix winner. He has been a loyal servant, as the team have been to him, but unless something happens in the next three races that gives you a whole lot of confidence that it’s just an ‘ism’ with this car, then the writing is very, very boldly on the wall.”