Helmut Marko identifies concerning Liam Lawson ‘problem’ after Red Bull demotion at the Japanese Grand Prix

Racing Bulls will be delighted with how the Japanese Grand Prix played out as Isack Hadjar scored the first points of his Formula 1 career.

After failing to start the race in Australia and being on the wrong end of a poor strategy call in China, Isack Hadjar secured four points for Racing Bulls and was the best of the rest at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Hadjar was starting alongside his hero Lewis Hamilton, while his new teammate Liam Lawson was up against a much more familiar rival at Suzuka.

Lawson outqualified Yuki Tsunoda on Saturday after being replaced by the Japanese driver at Red Bull after the race in Shanghai.

Tsunoda couldn’t score his first point for Red Bull after struggling in the race and only managing to make two overtakes during the Grand Prix.

However, it was a much more concerning issue for Lawson, who lost three positions during a race where making moves was next to impossible.

Helmut Marko was surprised by Lawson’s underperformance, which forced his team to make a switch after just two race weekends.

His display at Suzuka appears to have done little to remove Marko’s fears, with a ‘problem’ emerging at this early stage of the campaign.

READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation

Helmut Marko tasks Liam Lawson with scoring points after qualifying ‘problem’ emerges

Speaking on the Formula 1 post-race show, Marko was asked if Lawson settled back into the Racing Bulls team in the way that he would have liked and answered: “Qualifying was a problem.

“But I think he will recover, and I hope in the next couple of races that he also makes it into the points.”

It was evident when talking about the New Zealander that Marko’s tone of voice changed, particularly as he had been so positive about his new teammate Hadjar in the same interview.

Lawson will realise he’s under pressure, as although he’s benefited from the safety blanket of Red Bull having a second team on the grid, he’s already been outperformed by his less experienced partner.

Jacques Villeneuve told Lawson he got off lightly earlier in the race weekend, considering he still has a race seat on the grid.

He’s gone from being the brightest hope to race alongside Verstappen within the Red Bull group to potentially being the most at-risk driver in the space of just three Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Helmut Marko hails Max Verstappen after Japanese Grand Prix victory

Marko was asked if anyone else on the grid could have won the race apart from Verstappen in the Red Bull and admitted: “No! It’s just him! Unbelievable, 53 laps, absolutely no mistakes.

“And also tactical, as soon as Norris is coming near the DRS zone, oof, two-tenths [away from Verstappen], unbelievable.

“That [his qualifying lap] was also a magic run.”

First weekend in the VCARB 02 ✅ Bring on Bahrain ⏭️#F1 #VCARB #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/Fdg58XALhA

— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) April 6, 2025

Marko admitted that Tsunoda ‘missed out’ due to his performance in qualifying, similarly to Lawson.

However, he also believed that Tsunoda was ‘pretty near’ Verstappen in all the other sessions, and within the three-tenths expected of the Dutchman’s teammate.

Comparing any driver to Verstappen seems irrelevant at this stage after winning a race with a car that’s inferior to this year’s McLaren.

However, Lawson will hope that a return to Bahrain, where he’s got plenty of experience, will allow him to get up to speed in Racing Bulls’ car and score those all-important first points.