The nightmare for the number 30 driver began in free practice, where he encountered his first difficulties at the wheel of the RB21. In qualifying, he failed to progress beyond Q1. The climax of Lawson’s disappointing Red Bull debut came in the race.
On Sunday, the New Zealander was unable to climb up the standings, but that was not his only issue. The Australian Grand Prix was a challenging race for both rookies and experienced drivers. The only two young debutants to finish the race were Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman. Lawson is not considered a rookie, but Australia marked the start of his first season as a full-time driver—and it was not an ideal beginning.
He explained what happened during the race himself. “At the start, we were too slow, and then we took a risk. It almost worked, but it wasn’t meant to be. Starting from the pit lane was difficult, and in the first stint, we didn’t have the necessary speed on intermediate tires. We struggled too much with the front tires, so we’ll analyze the situation before the next race. On slick tires, we were quite competitive for a few laps, but then it started raining again.”
The Gamble That Affected Liam Lawson’s Race
This was the crucial moment that determined the outcome of Lawson’s race. Despite the increasing rain, Red Bull decided not to pit the New Zealander, opting to fit wet tires only on Max Verstappen’s car.
“We took the risk of leaving him out for a long time because he was already out of the points. We thought, ‘why not?’” explained Christian Horner. “But it was pouring. At that point, I had already given up pushing because it was very wet, and I was just trying to stay on track,” added Liam Lawson.
After this tough debut, Lawson now looks ahead to the next race. “It was a pretty terrible weekend, and overall, it was a challenge, but we learned a lot. I’m grateful for that and looking forward to going to China and starting fresh.”
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