Over the remaining six races of the season, Lawson will be evaluated against teammate Yuki Tsunoda’s performance before Red Bull make a decision around the make-up of their teams for the 2025 season. As it stands, Tsunoda has another year on his contract at Racing Bulls, while world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are locked in to drive for Red Bull’s senior team. But a strong end to the year by the Kiwi could change things.
“Basically I’ve got until end of this season and then I’ll find out more as the season goes on,” Lawson continued.
“I need to perform. I need to try my worth in F1 and do a similar job to what I did last year. That’s what gave me this shot. I just need to do it now to keep my seat for next year.”
Red Bull had until September 15 to secure the Kiwi for 2025 and beyond, and the Herald understands pressure was applied from the team’s shareholders to see Racing Bulls move back to its roots of being a junior team to develop talent to progress into the senior ranks.
Overseas media had reported a separate clause that would guarantee Lawson at least five races in the 2024 season. However, Lawson’s management has confirmed to the Herald those reports are false.
Lawson’s elevation comes after being forced to be patient for the majority of 2024. He impressed in a brief five-race stint with the then AlphaTauri in 2023, and was then overlooked for a place with Red Bull’s junior side.
Despite outperforming Tsunoda in four races, Lawson has been consigned to the role of reserve driver for both of its teams this season, after contracts to finalise the 2024 Racing Bulls line-up were signed before the Kiwi was able to drive for the team.
However, Lawson subsequently re-signed with Red Bull on a new contract that left the organisation having to find him a seat for next season before the deadline of September 15.
Lawson’s confirmation coming after the Singapore Grand Prix is just reward for the Kiwi, who found out he’d lost out on a 2024 seat at the same venue 12 months earlier.
The Herald understands more than one team were interested in acquiring Lawson, should Red Bull not have utilised him, but the Pukekohe native was not interested in taking his services elsewhere.
Red Bull have backed Lawson since he was a teenager, and seen him rise through junior categories Formula Three, Formula Two and Japan’s Super Formula, in the hope of developing him into his current position.
Lawson’s elevation also ends one of Formula One’s most prevalent storylines over the current season. With the exception of Verstappen, Red Bull’s two teams have struggled to consistently score points throughout 2024.
The team were expected to axe the struggling Perez over the summer break, and promote either Lawson or Ricciardo into the senior team, only for the Mexican to be backed to continue for the rest of 2024.
In the background, Red Bull senior advisor Dr Helmut Marko has also championed Lawson’s cause in the team’s ranks.
On at least three separate occasions, Marko made it clear it was Red Bull’s prerogative to have a junior driver in the Racing Bulls seat alongside Tsunoda, with the team intended to be a development pathway into the senior team.
His presence on the Formula One grid will be a huge boost for the senior team, with Perez only contracted to the end of 2025.
Lawson’s rise to the fulltime seat comes at a good time for New Zealand fans with five of the six remaining races taking place at more TV-friendly times.
Formula One races remaining
US Grand Prix, Monday October 21, 8am (Sprint race, 7am Sunday)
Mexico Grand Prix, Monday October 28, 9am
Brazilian Grand Prix, Monday November 4, 6am (Sprint race, 3am Sunday)
Las Vegas Grand Prix, Sunday November 24, 7pm
Qatar Grand Prix, Monday December 2, 6am (Sprint race, 3am Sunday)
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Monday December 9, 2am
Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.
