Liam Lawson is finally getting his big break in F1 with Red Bull this season, after impressing the top brass in Milton-Keynes. The Kiwi driver made some promising cameo appearances for RB, their sister team, in 2022 and 2023, and will now hope to shine for the senior squad at the highest level.
As the 22-year-old gears up for his maiden full-time F1 season, Red Bull has also disclosed who his voice of guidance will be. Richard Wood will be Lawson‘s race engineer and be in the New Zealander’s ears on team radio.
Wood has been working with Red Bull for over a decade, having joined them in 2012 as a strategist. After working on race strategy analysis, Wood moved to a different role as a race support engineer, mainly handling simulator testing duties and providing support at in-season tests on-track.
Most recently, he was a performance engineer to Lawson’s predecessor at Red Bull, Sergio Perez. He even temporarily stepped into the shoes of Perez’s regular race engineer Hugh Bird when he went on a paternity leave in 2024.
Liam Lawson’s race engineer for 2025 will be Richard Wood “Woody”.
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There will also be a minor change in Lawson’s teammate Max Verstappen’s side of the garage come the start of the 2025 season. Gianpiero Lambiase will continue serving as the Dutchman’s race engineer, but he will have a little bit more on his plate.
Red Bull has been restructuring its technical leadership since ex-sporting director Jonathan Wheatley decided to leave the team for Sauber in 2024. They haven’t replaced him outright with a single individual, but have instead split his responsibilities among multiple engineers.
Lambiase is one of them, which is why got promoted to the ‘Head of Racing’ besides staying as Verstappen’s engineer.
Will Lawson be able to forge a bond with Verstappen and Lambiase?
Verstappen and Lambiase, fondly known as GP, have become a popular driver-engineer duo in the F1 paddock. Red Bull boss Christian Horner feels that their relationship is like a ‘married couple’ and that has been evident by their team radio conversations, some of which often get converted into heated arguments.
Still, Lambiase ensures that he doesn’t lose his cool when the Dutchman is angry and manages to calm him down as the session progresses.
Lawson may not be able to emulate this level of bonding with Wood, but he must build a good rapport with him regardless.
He also faces the steep challenge of staying close to Verstappen’s performance benchmark, which has reached unprecedented levels in recent years. The four-time world champion is arguably at his peak, having secured 43 Grand Prix wins over the last three seasons.
Wood’s support will be crucial for Lawson as he attempts to match Verstappen. Many believe the 22-year-old could struggle, just as his predecessors—Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez—failed against the formidable Dutchman.
Still, if Lawson manages to achieve the impossible, it will be a harsh reality check for those who have written him off before he even turns a wheel in the Red Bull car.
