Jacques Villeneuve reminds ‘crushed’ Liam Lawson he got off lightly compared to another Helmut Marko victim

Liam Lawson has returned to former team Racing Bulls at the Japanese Grand Prix. Lawson may be relieved to have his visor down again after the publicity around his Red Bull demotion.

The New Zealander was on the end of one of the most brutal driver calls in recent F1 history as Christian Horner and Helmut Marko dropped him after just two races. He’d failed to score a point or escape Q1 and crashed out in Australia.

Some F1 fans think Lawson looks happier at Racing Bulls, where the pressure will be considerably lower. There’s also a prevailing theory in the paddock that the VCARB02 is an easier car to drive.

Red Bull staff can foresee Lawson returning in the future if he reminds Horner and Marko of his talents at the de facto junior team. Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly didn’t get that opportunity after their demotions in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

Lawson enjoyed a positive start to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, setting the fifth-fastest time in FP2. It was a disrupted session with a jumbled order, but the car looks fast, as demonstrated by third-place Isack Hadjar.

Jacques Villeneuve points out that Liam Lawson was luckier than Alex Albon at Red Bull

Speaking live on Sky Sports, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve defended Red Bull over their controversial move. He pointed out that the team have built a renowned pipeline for young drivers.

They’re willing to progress drivers through the ranks rapidly but axe them just as fast. Villeneuve says Lawson ‘collapsed’ at Red Bull, giving the team no choice.

But he put a positive spin on the events, pointing out that the 23-year-old has a second chance in F1. By contrast, Alex Albon dropped off the grid entirely at the end of 2020 before returning with Williams in 2022.

“Red Bull is a tough place to be,” Villeneuve said. “They give a lot of drivers a chance. Not many teams do that. From a young age, they follow them, they help them.

“But it’s a double-edged sword. You get into the team, you have to perform. If you don’t, you’re chopped, and that happens pretty quickly.

“It was the right decision. He’s performing better now. He’s calmer. He was burnt, he was crushed. You cannot drive like this.

“You don’t get out of that hole. It just gets worse and worse and worse. Two races in a row he qualified last, you can’t do that.

“You go to bed, you don’t sleep. You can see it, he looked tired, exhausted. Something needed to happen.

“It’s better than what happened to Albon. Albon was sent home. He was sent to the B-team. He’s still in F1.”

How Racing Bulls debriefs will change after Liam Lawson returns at Japanese Grand Prix

Racing Bulls are the forgotten victim in all of this. As they compete in an extremely congested midfield battle, they’re having to deal with near-constant turbulence.

Since the start of 2023, Nyck de Vries has lost his seat, Daniel Ricciardo has been injured (and axed) and now Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson have been swapped. With rookie Hadjar in the other seat, their new line-up only possesses 14 race starts combined.

Team principal Laurent Mekies admits Racing Bulls will have longer meetings as a result. Their inexperienced pairing will require more support.

Formerly known as RB, the Faenza outfit are second from bottom in the constructors’ standings on just three points. That, it should be said, isn’t a true reflection of their pace.