Liam Lawson’s attitude has been called out (Image: Getty)
has been labelled ‘arrogant’ by 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who believes that the new recruit has a ‘very strange attitude’ that could hamper his progress in the sport.
The 22-year-old was called up to replace in the build-up to Christmas after the Mexican racer endured a miserable 2024 campaign. Lawson only has 11 Grand Prix starts under his belt, but the New Zealander’s bullish approach has already created a handful of enemies.
Lawson agitated Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso at the United States Grand Prix, with the two drivers carrying a feud throughout the weekend, which was the Kiwi’s first back in the sport after replacing . Then, in Mexico, he got on the wrong side of Perez, and even showed the middle finger to the home hero while overtaking him on the pit straight.
“It’s early to say [how Lawson will fare against Verstappen],” Villeneuve told Express Sport in association with . “We’ve seen drivers move up to their main team and get burned really quickly. [Liam] Lawson has been quick and has done a great job in the main.
“His attitude is very strange, though. He’s very arrogant for someone with such little experience. So, we’ll see how that attitude works with Max and within the team. If Lawson is quick and pushes Max, there will be friction.
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Liam Lawson will partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull next season (Image: Getty)
“But if there is no friction, it means they are not winners. Nobody likes the young gun coming in and pushing you. It either makes you go faster, or you throw your toys out the pram. New Zealand is not a country that brings huge value to F1 or brings sponsors. They wouldn’t have considered that. They just want the best drivers.”
While Villeneuve is concerned about Lawson’s elbows-out approach, team principal believes that this characteristic could work to the 22-year-old’s advantage in 2025.
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“Liam’s performances over the course of his two stints with 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,” he said.
“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.”