Red Bull Racing have confirmed Liam Lawson will take the team's second seat for the 2025 season, replacing Sergio Pérez.
Lawson has progressed through the Red Bull Junior ranks and has served as the team's reserve driver over the past two seasons.
He was called upon for two brief stints in Formula 1, both times replacing Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri and Visa Cash App RB (soon to be Racing Bulls) in the 2023 and 2024 seasons respectively.
All told, Lawson raced in 11 Grands Prix and earned himself six points - finishing a career best P9 in Singapore (2023), USA (2024) and São Paulo (2024).
While competing against veteran VCARB driver Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson was out-qualified 6-0 during his most recent spell, with race results going 4-2 in favour of the Japanese driver.
However, Red Bull feel that the 22-year-old offers enough confidence and competence to step up alongside four-time World Champion Max Verstappen for the 2025 season.
Speaking of his promotion, Lawson commented: "To be announced as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver is a lifelong dream for me. This is something I’ve wanted and worked towards since I was eight years old. It’s been an incredible journey so far."
"I want to say a massive thank you to the whole team at VCARB for their support, the last six races have played a huge part in my preparation for this next step."
"I also want to thank, Christian [Horner, Red Bull boss], Helmut [Marko, Red Bull Motorsport Adviser] and the whole Red Bull family for believing in me and giving me this opportunity."
He concluded: "I am super excited to work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise. I can’t wait to get going!"
Team Principal and CEO, Christian Horner said: "I’m delighted to announce that Liam Lawson will join the team in 2025."
"Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have demonstrated that he’s not only capable of delivering strong results but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top."
“His arrival continues the Team’s long history of promoting from within the Red Bull Junior Programme and he follows in the footsteps of championship and race-winning drivers such as Sebastian Vettel and of course, Max Verstappen."
He concluded: "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 next year."
With Lawson's promotion, this leaves one seat remaining on the Formula 1 grid for 2025 - at Red Bull's sister team. It is expected that F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar will take that seat alongside Tsunoda.
