Liam Lawson’s confidence has taken yet another hit after qualifying plum last for Red Bull at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Kiwi has struggled to get to grips with his new Red Bull car following promotion from their junior team over the winter.
Lawson’s results look even poorer when new teammate Max Verstappen manages to put the same car inside the top five in every session.
There was already a lot of chatter as to whether his team had picked the right driver, with some preferring the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda for the role, who has enjoyed an excellent start to 2025.
Martin Brundle had four words for Lawson after a P20 on Friday. He realises how damaging it could be for him, especially now he has qualified 20th twice in one weekend.
Ted Kravitz says Red Bull made one change to Lawson’s car which impacted him negatively in Melbourne, but he seems to have been even worse off at the Chinese Grand Prix.
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Helmut Marko gives short answer on Liam Lawson’s Chinese Grand Prix struggles for Red Bull
Helmut Marko is renowned for being Red Bull’s tough promoter of young talent. He spares little for those who cannot perform at the highest level.
On the back of three consecutive poor qualifying performances, the Austrian gave an ominous answer regarding Lawson’s future with Red Bull after just two race weekends.
“F1 is a competitive sport,” he told Sky Germany.
Marko won’t be happy hearing Lawson’s radio after he attempted to make an excuse for his struggles in Shanghai.
The least time a driver has ever been given to prove himself at the team came back in 2019 when Pierre Gasly was demoted back to Toro Rosso after just 12 races.
It means that Lawson has some time to discover his form yet, but cannot afford to be 20th at every race while his teammate fights for the drivers’ championship.
READ MORE: Christian Horner just sent dreaded Sergio Perez message to Liam Lawson before Australian Grand Prix
Karun Chandhok reveals how many races Red Bull ‘should’ give Liam Lawson before F1 sacking
Struggling to this extent will be unfamiliar territory for Lawson, who never showed signs of such slow pace during his time at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
He was picked because data suggested that he may have the most upside as a long-term replacement for Sergio Perez, who endured a dire 2024 season.
Speaking after qualifying on Sky Sports F1, popular pundit Karun Chandhok shared his view on how many races Lawson should be given before he is cut.
“Should they give him? I think you’ve at least got to give him half a dozen races. It’s a bit unfair to [otherwise].
“Clearly, it’s not an easy car to drive and if you drop Yuki or Isack into it, you have to give them half a dozen races before you judge them. It’ll be unfair to judge before that.”
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