Liam Lawson has been demoted from Red Bull after just two Formula 1 races, setting a new record for the short-lasting driver they have ever had.
A dismal season-opening Australian Grand Prix saw him retire from his first race, before qualifying 20th twice in a row at the following race in China.
With pressure ramping up and his confidence plummeting, Red Bull made the quick decision to demote Lawson back to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
His replacement was the man who the team snubbed over the winter – Yuki Tsunoda will debut for the Milton Keynes-based outfit at his home race in Suzuka.
Helmut Marko believes Tsunoda ‘secretly expected’ the Lawson swap to happen at some stage in the season. His experience could be vital in handing him a quicker start to life at the senior team.
On the other hand, ex-Red Bull star Jaime Alguersuari says Lawson has left Tsunoda a ‘quite easy’ job because nobody expects him to arrive and do well straight away.
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Mark Webber says Liam Lawson’s Red Bull pace was ‘completely unacceptable’
With one wet race at a track he didn’t know, as well as a sprint weekend at another track he didn’t know well, Lawson didn’t receive a fair crack at getting up to speed. Regardless, he shouldn’t have been one second off his teammate.
Ex-Red Bull driver Mark Webber has shared his thoughts on the Kiwi’s performance, and he wasn’t too kind in his assessment.
“We’re looking at two or three-tenths per sector at the moment as you know, which is completely unacceptable,” he said.
“I see it’s like Marc Marquez when he left Honda, I know not everyone on this podcast might be into MotoGP but it’s a similar thing.
“Where this Marc Marquez engineered his way into riding this motorcycle over years and also on motorbikes we know DC, that aren’t comfortable and something happens, then you can actually depending on how lucky or unlucky you are, you can injure yourself,” Webber continued.
“For a rider to get confident or not be confident on a motorcycle is like if Liam Lawson was on the equivalent of a Honda now, he’d probably be injured.”
READ MORE: Helmut Marko predicts what Red Bull’s rivals would have done with Liam Lawson after dismal results
Why Liam Lawson could be quicker at Racing Bulls than Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix
Lawson’s camp have welcomed his Red Bull demotion and were almost relieved that a quick decision regarding his future was made.
It’s clear at this stage that the operating window of the VCARB machine is much wider. It’s easier to extract a lap time from.
The Red Bull can only be driven fast under extreme circumstances, which are almost impossible for a young or inexperienced driver to adapt to.
It means that Lawson should expect to be quicker now that he is returning to the team he was very quick with at times last year.
If anything, points should be his target at the Japanese Grand Prix, and maybe even a better finish than Tsunoda if he struggles too.
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