It has been a difficult start to full-time Formula 1 for Liam Lawson, having been demoted by Red Bull after just two races in the top team.
Red Bull grew impatient with Lawson after it became apparent that he could not match Max Verstappen in the RB21, electing to bank on the experience of Yuki Tsunoda instead.
Helmut Marko has admitted that Verstappen was against the swap, although Tsunoda has been an improvement on Lawson, having provided his feedback on improving the RB21.
Discussing his situation on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner explained why he thinks Lawson’s situation differs from Mick Schumacher.
Liam Lawson under different ‘pressure’ to Mick Schumacher
During his first year at Haas, Schumacher would largely finish at the back of the grid along with Nikita Mazepin. The pair were effectively driving a car that was two years old, with Haas pausing development to focus on the 2022 season.
Although there was a lot of scrutiny on Schumacher because of his name associated with an F1 legend, Steiner believes there was a difference between the pressure he experienced and what happened with Lawson.
“For the rookies on the other side, I don’t blame them for their results, it was not a bad year because they had no pressure to perform,” said Steiner.
“The opposite of what Liam Lawson has at the moment, they knew the car was whatever it was and they just had to make an experience.”
Liam Lawson is the only Red Bull driver yet to score points in 2025
Lawson has yet to score points in the 2025 season racing for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls, with the 23-year-old having to rebuild his confidence.
Isack Hadjar has impressed those in F1 with his form, with Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen praising the Frenchman for his performances recently.
| Driver | Points |
| Max Verstappen | 87 |
| Isack Hadjar | 5 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | 5 |
| Liam Lawson | 0 |
Hadjar has scored the same points total as Tsunoda, with the pair on five points apiece after the first five races of the season.
Verstappen has the highest points total, sitting on 87 points, having won the race in Japan and earned podiums at Australia and Saudi Arabia.
