Liam Lawson has been told he needs to give Max Verstappen a “few slaps” at Red Bull in F1 2025 as that brings out the best in his new team-mate.

But he’s also been warned “not too” many as that would risk causing “unrest” within Red Bull.

Liam Lawson will partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull in F1 2025
Red Bull will field a new driver pairing for the F1 2025 championship as Lawson has been promoted the seat alongside Verstappen, replacing Sergio Perez who left the team after a troubled 2024 campaign.

Despite having less experience than any of Verstappen’s previous Red Bull team-mates – Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez – Lawson takes on what team principal Christian Horner last year called “probably the hardest job in Formula 1.”

Lawson has declared he is ready to “work alongside Max and learn from a World Champion, I have no doubt I will learn from his expertise.”

And learning from the World Champion needs to be his main objective this season as Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel says he cannot beat him. After all, others with more experience have tried, and they have failed.

“No one can compete with Max,” Coronel said in an interview with Motorsport.com. “So you can completely forget about that.

“I think it’s more in the head. We have seen Albon break, Gasly we have seen break. And now, of course, Perez with so much experience, we have also seen him fall through the ice.

“Nobody can compete with Max, so we shouldn’t expect that. Shouldn’t put that pressure on [him] either.”

Lawson’s other objective is to help Verstappen win the Constructors’ Championship title for Red Bull.

Last season the team came up short, dropping to third in the standings, as Perez struggled to score points despite Verstappen winning the Drivers’ Championship in the other RB20.

“That is important for Red Bull,” says Coronel.

“Because Max does take the Drivers’ Championship. So we’ve already fixed that, we don’t have to enter into that competition and it is also impossible.

“So you need a second driver who is smart and handy and knows how to score well and can also contribute something to the team. Not just to Max, because that is not possible.”

But that doesn’t mean Lawson shouldn’t show a bit of bite against Verstappen.

Verstappen hasn’t really been challenged by a team-mate since Ricciardo back in 2018 as all often against Gasly, Albon and Perez he was comfortably up the road.

Coronel believes it would be good for the four-time World Champion as it would fire him up.

“A few slaps is always nice because then you often see that fierce Max come back,” he explained.

“I’m not just talking about rivals around him, but also a little bit internally.

“But not too much, because that means unrest.

“I understand what Red Bull is looking for and doing, because they also have to think about the future. I think you have to look at that perspective.”