Liam Lawson’s drive at Red Bull may now be in jeopardy as the team considers its options ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
It has been one of the worst starts to a season for a Red Bull driver in the history of the team, with Lawson failing to get out of Q1 and being among seven drivers yet to score points this season.
Lawson crashed out of the season opener in Melbourne in the tricky wet conditions, while he was promoted to P12 in China after the disqualifications of both Ferrari’s and Pierre Gasly for a technical infringement.
The RB21 has been a difficult car to drive with Max Verstappen even suggesting Lawson would be better in a Racing Bulls, having struggled to make any progress in the race on Sunday.
After a disastrous start to the year, there is now the increased prospect of Lawson being replaced at Red Bull. Discussing the situation in his latest BBC Sport column, Andrew Benson noticed something about Lawson when he was speaking to media.
- READ MORE: Red Bull only have themselves to blame for crucial error that could cost them 2025 F1 championship title
Liam Lawson spoke to media as if he knew ‘writing was on the wall’ in China
Lawson was understandably dejected after the Chinese GP, with his final radio message to engineer Richard Wood being one of frustration having failed to progress any higher than P15 on the road.
Talks between senior Red Bull management are taking place in the aftermath of China, with Lawson tipped to be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese GP.
Such a move would add considerable pressure on Tsunoda to perform at his home race, as Red Bull is desperately in need of points to catch up to Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship.
While no official decision has been made, Lawson’s demeanour when speaking to media appeared to suggest there could be a change on the way according to Benson.
“Lawson was talking in China as if he already knew the writing was on the wall,” wrote Benson.
Will changing Liam Lawson make any difference for Red Bull?
Red Bull is known for being brutal on its driver programme, having dismissed drivers midway through a season before after underperforming on track.
If Lawson is swapped for Tsunoda, he would have the unenviable accolade of the shortest Red Bull career in the history of the team.
The optics of the decision would also be one of chaos, with questions set to be asked of senior management after they felt Lawson was the appropriate replacement for Sergio Perez in December.
Red Bull spent millions paying off Perez out of his contract, and appearing to U-turn on a driver decision two races into 2025 would signal that they have a driver crisis.
Verstappen does not want Red Bull to change its drivers as it risks ruining their careers early. Promoting Isack Hadjar would be seen as too early, while Tsunoda at least has four years of experience despite not being the first pick for Helmut Marko and Christian Horner.
Leave feedback about this