MILTON KEYNES, England (AP) — Liam Lawson will partner world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025, the Formula 1 team said on Thursday.

Lawson, a New Zealander, replaces Sergio Perez, who was dropped on Wednesday after months of poor results.

The 22-year-old Lawson will switch from Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister team, after racing as a replacement driver in 2023 and this year. He started in Red Bull's junior program.

“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,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said, "but I’m sure Liam can rise to that challenge and deliver some outstanding results for us next year.”

Lawson said it was a “lifelong dream” to be racing with Red Bull.

“This is something I’ve wanted and worked toward since I was 8 years old,” he said. “It’s been an incredible journey so far.”

Perez's contract was terminated two years early, the Mexican ditched after being rarely competitive this season. He had not won a race since April 2023 and the last time he finished higher than sixth in a grand prix was in May. Meanwhile, Verstappen continued to dominate F1.

Lawson joined Red Bull's junior program in 2019 and made his F1 debut at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2023 with Scuderia AlphaTauri — which was later rebranded as Racing Bulls — in place of the injured Daniel Ricciardo. He completed five races for the team that year.

This year, Dawson had a points-scoring finish at the United States Grand Prix, again replacing Ricciardo.

“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,” Horner said, “but that he’s also a real racer, not afraid to mix it with the best and come out on top.”

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