The situation repeats itself once again. It happened to Pierre Gasly, then to Alex Albon, and to some extent to Sergio Pérez before his departure. Now it’s Liam Lawson’s turn, who seems to be struggling to get to grips with the Red Bull. While Verstappen fights tooth and nail for the top positions, the New Zealander lingers at the back of the grid, drawing sharp criticism from a former paddock insider.
Many believed last year, when he returned to Racing Bulls, that he could be the ideal teammate for the four-time world champion. However, the reality became clear during testing. Just like his predecessors, Liam Lawson has been unable to handle the RB21. During the Bahrain tests, he was one of the few drivers to nearly crash into the barriers on his first laps.
Things have only gotten worse in the first two races of the season. In Australia, racing on a track he had never driven before and facing extreme conditions, he crashed into the barriers at Turn 1. In Shanghai, he finished no higher than 16th and qualified last in both sessions.
On Sunday evening, an unconfirmed but highly possible rumor emerged. Red Bull is reportedly planning to demote Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls to make way for Yuki Tsunoda, possibly as early as the next race in Japan. It would be yet another blow for a young driver who has been given only two Grands Prix to prove his potential.
But Formula 1 has always been ruthless. Gunther Steiner, speaking on the Red Flags podcast, did not hold back in his assessment of Liam Lawson. “I think it’s a driver issue. If you’re already six-tenths behind your teammate, that’s bad enough, but being over a second off makes a real difference.” – the former Haas team boss pointed out.
“I don’t know what to say because when he was put in Racing Bulls to replace Daniel Ricciardo, he did a good, respectable job. But in Red Bull, he simply can’t deliver the same performances. Maybe he’s putting too much pressure on himself.” – he concluded.
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