“It will be difficult to replace him”: Liam Lawson spoke about Checo Pérez

Days after it was announced that Liam Lawson will replace Checo Pérez in the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, The New Zealand pilot spoke about the Mexican and acknowledged that it will be difficult to fill the Mexican’s shoes.

“I have a lot of respect for what Pérez has done in this sport and what he has done for this team. It will be difficult to replace himor, but of course it’s exciting,” Lawson said in an interview for Sky Sports F1.

Liam Lawson was the team’s designated driver, after the goodbye to Sergio Pérez, who left after 4 seasons at Red Bull.

Lawson arrives at the seat that was occupied by Checo two years after debuting in Formula 1, in which he was a reserve driver. In September 2024 he became Red Bull’s third driver, replacing Daniel Ricciardo due to his performance. In the United States Grand Prix and in Qatar he finished in ninth position, so he added 4 points that were valuable for the team.

With Ricciardo out of the game, who was set to replace Pérez, Lawson, 22, was promoted and will run alongside four-time champion Max Verstappen.

“Being announced as a Red Bull Racing driver is my lifelong dream. It’s something I’ve wanted and worked for since I was eight years old. “It has been an incredible journey so far,” declared the New Zealander.

The driver also recalled one of the moments in which Checo influenced his childhood dream of competing in the premier category of motor sport.

“I remember watching a race in Malaysia when I was a kid and Perez was in Sauber and he was fighting with Fernando Alonso. “It’s really crazy to be in this now,” he concluded.

Checo Pérez had a “hit” with Lawson in the Mexican GP

Curiously, Checo had an anecdote on the circuit at home with the New Zealander that was not exactly the best.

During the race where Pérez was local, the New Zealander, who was running his second circuit of the season, tried to pass the Mexican in an unexpected maneuver and succeeded after touching his car; moments later “he gave him the finger” and it was caught on camera.

This unleashed the fury of Checo, who very angrily asked his team what was happening, because had reduced his chances of opting for a better position at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Finally, the New Zealander He had to apologize for his maneuver and in the interview for the official media in which he did it, he stressed that, despite everything, he was not there to make friends, but to seek victory, something that the Mexican fans did not take very well and for which they still have some misgivings about New Zealander. Which increased when they found out that he would be the one who would take the Mexican’s place in F1.

Keep reading:
· Fans of “Checo” Pérez attack Liam Lawson on social networks
Liam Lawson apologizes for giving Checo Pérez the middle finger at the Mexican GP
· “Checo” Pérez after failure in Mexico: “It was my worst Grand Prix”