A new role has been confirmed for Max Verstappen with Red Bull Formula 1 team after a driver swap was revealed via an official team release on social media.
Christian Horner's outfit recently shuffled their driver lineup for 2025, handing Verstappen a new team-mate for the upcoming season in Liam Lawson.
Lawson was promoted to race alongside the reigning champion following his six-race stint at junior team VCARB, and has now been handed what many would consider the toughest job in F1.
The 22-year-old replaced Sergio Perez after the Mexican star finished last season on back-to-back DNF results which ultimately cost Red Bull second place in the constructors' standings.
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Verstappen takes on Red Bull coaching role
As the 2025 season approaches, Verstappen has returned to the wheel, competing in sim racing events throughout January, which saw him slapped with his first penalty of the year.
As an avid sim racer and four-time F1 champion however, Red Bull clearly felt that the Dutchman was the ideal candidate to become a coach for the team in the latest collaboration with England Cricket.
In a video uploaded to the F1 team's official YouTube account, Verstappen could be seen coaching from the sidelines as England cricketers Issy Wong, Reece Topley and Will Jacks tried their hand racing on the sim, tackling the Baku F1 track map with tips from Verstappen.
The Red Bull star got behind the wheel to first show the group how it was done, delivering a stark warning over the street circuit.
"Honestly they gave us one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar" he admitted.
The trio went on to give the track their best shot, with Jacks topping the leaderboard with a lap time of 01:44.