How long do you think Red Bull will give Liam Lawson a chance to catch up before considering a change? – Jon
It seems their patience might already be wearing thin. Red Bull is slated to review Lawson’s position this week, and there’s a good chance he might not make it to the next race in Japan.
Should they make that move, it would indeed be a surprising decision, one that would raise eyebrows about how Red Bull Racing is being managed.
To get to the root of this, let’s take a step back.
Back in May, Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, opted to extend Sergio Perez’s contract for two more years, securing his spot until the end of 2026.
This was despite Perez’s struggles alongside Max Verstappen and a 2024 season that seemed to be unfolding similarly to the previous year. Just like before, Perez had a promising start that quickly fizzled out.
Horner could have keyed in on Carlos Sainz, who was available after Ferrari chose Lewis Hamilton. However, he remembered the friction between Sainz and Verstappen during their stint as teammates at Toro Rosso in 2015 and decided against reopening that chapter.
By renewing Perez’s contract, Horner hoped it would help him regain his form.
Nevertheless, this strategy backfired. Perez’s performance plummeted, causing the team to land third in the constructors’ championship, even though Verstappen clinched his fourth world title by a margin of 63 points.
In those final 14 races, Verstappen only snatched victory twice because the car’s performance deteriorated, making it tough to handle. That explains why Perez struggled.
Horner, alongside Red Bull’s motorsport adviser, Helmut Marko, decided it was time for a change, concluding that Perez’s best days were behind him.
They offered him a substantial payout and brought in Lawson.
Lawson was chosen over Yuki Tsunoda, despite Tsunoda’s greater experience with the junior Racing Bulls team. Red Bull saw a grit in Lawson that they felt Tsunoda lacked.
Unfortunately, Lawson’s season hasn’t kicked off well. He finished 18th in the Melbourne opener and crashed out, placing last in both the sprint and the main race in China without making notable strides.
Even Verstappen is finding things tough, relatively speaking. He’s been vocal, suggesting the car is the slowest among the top four teams. In China, he even hinted it might lag behind the Racing Bull.
The Red Bull is jittery at corner entry, has understeer midway, and can snap on exits, with the team seemingly struggling for solutions.
Verstappen prefers a sharp front end but isn’t fond of the car’s current behavior. Yet, he manages to extract lap times, a feat Lawson hasn’t mastered yet.
While in China, Lawson seemed resigned to the situation’s reality.
“It’s just (got) a very small window,” he admitted. “It’s tough – hard to drive, to get it in that window. I’d like to believe time will help – but I just don’t have that luxury. It’s something I need to conquer.”
If Red Bull decides to part ways with him after merely two races, their management will undoubtedly face tough questions.
Why was signing him the right choice in December, but suddenly the wrong one now? And if Tsunoda is set to replace him, that question will loom even larger.
Moreover, if they instead lean towards young French driver Isack Hadjar, who’s shown promise alongside Tsunoda in the initial races, it might be viewed as too hasty.
Plus, if the core issue lies with the car, as it appears, why is the driver being blamed?
Many in the world of F1 have a saying that captures Red Bull’s handling of the second seat: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
