Pink Bull have revealed they’ve been placing Liam Lawson by way of his paces in a non-public check forward of his debut F1 season with the staff.
The 23-year-old New Zealander, who solely has 11 grands prix begins below his belt, lately drove Pink Bull’s title-winning RB19 at Jerez as he ramped up his preparations for the upcoming 2025 season.
After impressing as a late-season stand-in for Daniel Ricciardo at Pink Bull’s sister staff Racing Bulls in the direction of the top of 2024, Lawson earned promotion to turn into Max Verstappen’s subsequent teammate on the senior squad.
Lawson has taken the seat previously held by Sergio Perez, who was dropped by Pink Bull following an abysmal marketing campaign.
To assist get Lawson on top of things with the staff and his new engineers who will assist him in 2025, Pink Bull supplied him with the prospect to pattern their 2023 challenger earlier this month on the Jerez circuit in Spain.
Lawson is about to get his first style of Pink Bull’s 2025 automotive on Tuesday when he and Verstappen shake down the RB21 throughout a filming day in Bahrain.
That may happen a day earlier than F1 pre-season testing on the Sakhir monitor, the place Verstappen and Lawson will cut up driving duties from 26-28 February.
Pink Bull aim is evident for Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson takes up the second seat at Pink Bull
Lawson has been tasked with being the quantity two driver at Pink Bull, the place he’s anticipated to assist the staff problem for the constructors’ championship after the title slipped from their grasp final 12 months.
“The staff’s aim is to win the constructors’ and clearly, they weren’t in a position to do this final 12 months, and that’s the clear aim going into this 12 months,” Lawson informed media together with Crash.internet at F1’s season launch occasion in London.
“So clearly we’re doing the very best job we will to make the automotive as quick as attainable. And for me, if we’re ready that we’re combating for successful the constructors’, then I’m doing my job.
“So I believe that’s actually the place form of the staff’s aim for me, and their expectation for me is at, exterior of, clearly my objectives in System 1.”
Pink Bull staff principal Christian Horner has reiterated his facet are attempting to keep away from pilling an excessive amount of stress on Lawson’s shoulders.
“Liam’s job is sort of clear,” Horner stated. “He’s there to attempt to present as a lot assist as he probably can. There’s not an expectation for him to exit and beat a four-time world champion. If he beats him, implausible, and there isn’t any order to say that he can’t.
“However I believe it is a matter of making an attempt to take the stress off Liam as finest we will. He has been a part of our staff for a few years as check and reserve driver. One of many issues that basically impressed us about him is his psychological energy and resilience.
“Being Max’s teammate might be the hardest seat in System 1. We’ll do our greatest to guard him and develop him. He solely has 11 Grands Prix below his belt, so it is a large ask. However I believe he is acquired all the aptitude and expertise and psychological energy to have the ability to cope with that.”
