Rookie Red Bull driver Liam Lawson faces mounting pressure after another challenging weekend at the F1 Chinese GP, where a start from the pit lane failed to yield results. Could be also lost his seat to Yuki Tsunoda?
The second Grand Prix of the year saw McLaren dominate with a 1-2 finish in Shanghai, with Oscar Piastri claiming his third career victory ahead of teammate Lando Norris. But while celebrations erupted in the McLaren garage, Red Bull driver Liam Lawson faced a more difficult F1 Chinese GP, starting from the pitlane and struggling to find comfort in his car.
A strategic gamble falls short
Lawson, who was set to start at the back of the grid, opted to modify his car before the race, resulting in a pitlane start. The strategic gamble was an attempt to find improvements, but unfortunately didn’t yield the desired results.
“We knew it was going to be tough, but we started from the pit lane to try something with the car, and it unfortunately just didn’t work the way we wanted it to. What was really just a hard weekend was a bit harder today,” Lawson explained in the print media zone after the race.
Throughout the race, Lawson struggled to make significant progress through the field. He made his first pit stop on lap 31, switching from medium to hard compound tires, which dropped him to P19 – last among the active drivers following Fernando Alonso’s early retirement.
By the race’s conclusion, Lawson managed to climb only to P16, which became P17 after Jack Doohan’s 10-second penalty was applied.
The challenge to adapt
When questioned about his difficulties, Lawson acknowledged he’s in a learning process with limited time to adapt to the car.
“I think today some of those questions were answered as well. Also, it’s the way it is right now. Unfortunately, I don’t really have time to test it and get used to it. But I need to figure it out as quickly as I can,” he said.
The New Zealander elaborated on the specific challenges, explaining that the differences between his performance and his teammate’s often come down to small margins.
“It’s normally just a couple of places, to be honest. A lot of the lap is actually very similar. It’s just a couple of places normally. Overall, it’s just how the car is to drive. It’s a very small window,” Lawson noted.
The pressure that comes with the Red Bull seat
The difficult start to Lawson’s season has naturally placed significant mental pressure on the young driver, with all eyes watching his performance closely.
When asked about the mental toll of two challenging race weekends, Lawson was candid. The Kiwi driver said, “It’s obviously extremely tough. It’s not something I’m enjoying. But I’m honestly working as hard as I can to get on top of it.”
The pressure to perform is something Lawson is acutely aware of, acknowledging the realities of Formula 1. “I’m also not stupid, and I know that obviously I’m here to perform. If I’m not doing that, I’m not going to be around. For me, I’m just focused on getting used to the car as quickly as I can.”
No excuses
Despite the challenging circumstances – including racing at unfamiliar tracks and dealing with variable weather conditions – Lawson refused to make excuses for his performance.
When asked if his difficult start could be attributed to unfortunate circumstances, he responded firmly. “Not really. It’s not really an excuse. We’re all in the same boat.”
Regarding the team’s reaction to his performance, Lawson was straightforward. “It’s safe to say that we’re not happy. None of us are happy. I don’t know what more you want me to say to that,” he answered.
Will Liam Lawson keep his Red Bull seat ahead of Suzuka as Yuki Tsunoda rumours swirl?
The next race in Japan presents an opportunity for Lawson to reset on a track he’s more familiar with. When asked about his mindset for Suzuka, he expressed cautious optimism.
“Yeah, I think it’s obviously good knowing the track and hopefully that helps adjusting to where I need to be in the car. So yeah, I’ll spend the next week obviously getting prepared for that.”
As Lawson heads to Japan, he’ll be looking to silence critics, including teammate Yuki Tsunoda. When asked whether he thinks Tsunoda is ready to drive the Red Bull car, Lawson responded confidently. “Not really,” he said.
“He can honestly say whatever he wants. I’ve raced him for years. I’ve raced him in junior categories and beat him. And I did in F1 as well, so he can say whatever he wants.”
