Nico Rosberg made a ‘bold prediction’ about Liam Lawson before he lost his Red Bull F1 seat

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Nico Rosberg and the rest of Sky Sports’ pundits were asked to make one bold prediction for the 2025 season a week before it got underway. Rosberg was particularly excited about Liam Lawson.

Lawson was only 11 races into his F1 career when he got the call-up to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull. It was a major gamble, but a remarkable opportunity.

David Croft and Anthony Davidson both picked Lawson to be their rookie of the year. Officially, the New Zealander doesn’t qualify (the FIA classifies a rookie as a driver with no more than two starts), but it reflected the hype around him at the time.

Davidson even suggested that Lawson would run Max Verstappen ‘pretty hard’. In the end, the Dutchman has been more dominant against his teammates than ever – only once all season has he been classified behind the sister car.

Nico Rosberg said Liam Lawson would be the biggest surprise of the 2025 season

Rosberg had a feeling that Lawson would be a surprise package in the second Red Bull. He’d been competitive against Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls despite his relative lack of experience.

“Liam Lawson, perhaps,” the 2016 world champion said. “I think it’s going to be a thrilling season. I can’t wait to find out who comes out on top.”

• READ MORE: Liam Lawson told he could be ‘holding’ a Racing Bulls seat for the driver Helmut Marko wants in 2027

In the end, Rosberg’s prediction backfired spectacularly as Lawson lasted just two races at Red Bull. He’s slowly built his form back up since returning to the sister team and could secure a contract extension for 2026.

Lawson is hoping to partner Arvid Lindblad, another new face, but must see off competition from Tsunoda. It’s unlikely he’ll ever race for Red Bull again, but strong performances at his current team could open doors elsewhere.

‘Kimi Antonelli will win at Monza’ – what were the Sky team’s other bold predictions for 2025?

Rosberg wasn’t the only pundit to misfire. Martin Brundle said Lewis Hamilton would win multiple races, but he hasn’t finished on the podium in the first 20.

Ted Kravitz thought eight drivers would win Grands Prix, but only four have done so up to this point. Meanwhile, Davidson suggested that Kimi Antonelli would win his home race at Monza, and he still hasn’t challenged for a victory.

Jacques’ Villeneuve claim that Carlos Sainz would be the surprise of the season is up for debate, but some of his colleagues were on the mark.

David Croft backed Oscar Piastri to win six or more races, and he’s already won seven. Jamie Chadwick was also right to pick Gabriel Bortoleto as a ‘dark horse’.

But perhaps the best call came from Bernie Collins, who said: “I think that Williams are going to be the fifth-fastest team throughout the year.”