Max Verstappen was against Red Bull’s decision to demote Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls. He didn’t necessarily have a problem with Yuki Tsunoda – he just thought it was a distraction from the team’s fundamental problems.
Helmut Marko admitted Verstappen was against the swap, and while Tsunoda has been an improvement on Lawson, he too has been wrestling with an uncompliant RB21. The Japanese driver failed to score on his debut at Suzuka, though he was able to pick up a P9 in Bahrain.
That was a commendable feat on one of the team’s poorest weekends of the ground-effect era. Verstappen’s last-lap overtake on Pierre Gasly salvaged P6, but it was fitting that he spent so long battling an Alpine.
Red Bull looked more like a midfield team than a frontrunner for much of the weekend. Verstappen complained of debilitating brake issues during the race, suggesting the car was borderline undriveable.
Verstappen claimed Racing Bulls had an ‘easier car to drive’ and suggested Lawson would go faster in the VCARB02. He outqualified Tsunoda in Japan, though he’s largely struggled since returning to the sister team.
Liam Lawson knew Max Verstappen would struggle in Bahrain after what he faced in testing
In the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix paddock, Lawson spoke to Dutch journalist Ronald Vording about Red Bull’s wretched Bahrain GP. He says it wasn’t a surprise.
The New Zealander drove the Red Bull around the Sakhir circuit in pre-season testing and ‘expected’ them to struggle at the Grand Prix weekend a month and a half later. He could feel that the car was unbalanced.
However, Lawson expects Christian Horner’s team to ‘do a bit better’ in Jeddah, where the tyre wear won’t be as severe and there are more fast corners. Verstappen dragged a magical lap out of the car at the high-speed Suzuka circuit.
The improvement will need to be significant to assuage the Dutchman’s concerns about his 2025 prospects. At the moment, he doesn’t think he can defend his title against the rapid McLarens.
Max Verstappen should apologise to interviewer after Saudi Arabian Grand Prix remark
According to Ted Kravitz, Verstappen is most annoyed about Red Bull’s sluggish pit stops. They plan to compete for victories more regularly when they develop the car, but until that point, they have to be operationally perfect to maximise their points tally.
Speaking in the press conference on Thursday, he played down talk that he was considering his future. Simon Lazenby says some paddock insiders see Verstappen’s exit as a done deal.
But while he publicly remains committed, his frustration was obvious. Verstappen gave a rude answer to David Croft when pressed about a potential exit, and should arguably apologise to the Sky commentator in private.
It is worth stressing that he’s only eight points off the championship lead. Red Bull will hope that the FIA’s flexi-wing clampdown at the Spanish GP hurts McLaren and brings Verstappen firmly back into play.
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