Red Bull boss Christian Horner has admitted the decision to pick Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda to replace Sergio Perez at its top Formula 1 team was a “tight” call.
The announcement that Perez will not retain the Red Bull seat preceded the anticipated news that Lawson has been selected to partner Max Verstappen next season.
Lawson’s promotion comes with 11 F1 starts to his name with Red Bull’s sister squad RB and has meant that Tsunoda has once again been overlooked for a step up.
Tsunoda has completed four seasons with the Faenza-based squad, but Red Bull continues to be hesitant about handing him his desired chance with the senior side.
The Japanese driver has missed out despite sustaining his most productive campaign to date in 2024, while he also sampled Red Bull’s RB20 in the post-season test.
But while he acknowledged that Tsunoda impressed in his maiden Red Bull outing, Horner has revealed that the data has indicated that Lawson has the higher ceiling.
“It was very, very tight between the two of them,” Horner told ESPN. “I mean, Yuki is a very fast driver. He’s got three or four seasons of experience now.
“He did a very good job in the tyre test for us in Abu Dhabi where the engineers were impressed with how he performed.
“With Liam, when you look and go into the analytics of his race, pace was slightly better in the races that he did.
“His qualifying pace was very tight with Yuki, and you’ve got to assume that the potential with Liam having only done 11 Grands Prix, is he’s only going to get better and stronger.
“He’s shown real mental resilience and toughness.”
Lawson’s adaptability a leading aspect
With Lawson having hit the ground running twice mid-season in F1, Horner highlighted his rapid adaption to new equipment as an aspect that also gave him the edge.
“A couple of things have stood out with me with Liam – how versatile he is,” Horner pinpointed.
“You put him into a situation, he gets on with it.
“If you remember his debut in Zandvoort after Daniel [Ricciardo] broke his fingers, he was racing against Max on his out-lap.
“He’s got that kind of gritty racer mentality.
“He did a year in the DTM where he adjusted to driving a Ferrari GT car incredibly quickly alongside Alex Albon and generally had the upper hand.”
Red Bull impressed with Lawson’s racecraft
Lawson has not shown a reluctance to get his elbows out in wheel-to-wheel combat since replacing Ricciardo, even angering two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso.
“And again, his racecraft has been really one of his key strengths,” Horner continued. “So he’s not afraid to go wheel-to-wheel and even rub wheels where necessary.
“So I think he’s going to do a great job for us.”
“The engineers have enjoyed working with him through the running that he’s done this year. He’s got a good work ethic as well.”
Tsunoda remains a Red Bull option
Horner has divulged that Tsunoda, who will begin the 2025 season at RB, will remain an option should Red Bull’s gamble on choosing Lawson not work out as hoped.
“So it is great to have Yuki still involved with the Racing Bull scene next year. And of course he’s on standby should he ever be required,” he concluded.
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