Red Bull decided to demote Liam Lawson back to VCARB and promote Yuki Tsunoda after just two races and a Sprint event. Liam Lawson’s gap to his teammate, Max Verstappen, was deemed too large and difficult to close.
The New Zealand driver struggled to find the necessary confidence with his new car. Even Helmut Marko, who initially preferred him over Yuki Tsunoda, had to reconsider his decision. Bernie Collins, a former Aston Martin strategist, believes she has identified one of the key reasons behind Lawson’s difficulties in the opening races.
The Mercedes Model
Many young drivers are set to face their first full F1 season in 2025. To replace Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes has chosen to invest in young Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The transition from junior categories to F1 can be challenging, which is why the Brackley team decided to give Antonelli extensive testing throughout 2024. The Italian driver has covered approximately 9,000 km in TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) sessions using Mercedes F1 cars that are at least two years old. Through these tests, he has gained valuable experience with F1 machinery.
Although Liam Lawson, unlike Kimi Antonelli, has already raced in F1 with VCARB, Bernie Collins believes Red Bull could have adopted a similar approach to Mercedes. “We’ve talked about how Red Bull is a really complicated car to drive. It’s a very specific car. It’s not the same as the Racing Bulls,” Bernie Collins said on Sky Sports.
The former Aston Martin engineer has a suggestion for Red Bull: “What I’d like to know, what we should have asked Christian [Horner], is why Red Bull didn’t implement a program similar to Mercedes with Liam Lawson, or whoever their second driver will be.” Collins is convinced this would have improved Lawson’s experience at Red Bull: “He could have gotten into the car in a much, much stronger position than he is now.”
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