The 2025 Formula 1 season has proven to be incredibly challenging for all 20 drivers, with every racer facing their own unique difficulties during the first three race weekends.
Several rookies, as well as Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, were caught out by the treacherous conditions in Australia, while the Sprint format of the Chinese Grand Prix meant the host of drivers racing for new teams had almost no preparation time in Shanghai.
The Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a true test of every driver’s one-lap pace, with overtaking virtually impossible at Suzuka.
Red Bull were the first team to blink after Liam Lawson struggled throughout the first double header of the season.
First points in F1 for Isack 👏
A strong drive from LL30 in his first weekend in the VCARB 02 👊#F1 #VCARB #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/OtV66Ql7Bo
— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) April 6, 2025
Lawson couldn’t deal with the balance of the RB21 and was replaced by former Racing Bulls teammate Yuki Tsunoda heading into the race in Japan.
The £800k-a-year driver returned to Racing Bulls this weekend, but was overshadowed by fellow rookie Isack Hadjar.
Even Damon Hill was impressed by Hadjar after he scored his first points of the season, while Ted Kravitz was less enthusiastic about the 23-year-old.
READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation
Ted Kravitz laments ‘very poor’ Japanese Grand Prix for Liam Lawson
Kravitz was speaking on Ted’s Notebook (6/4 9:24am) after a slightly dull race in Japan and when reflecting on how both Racing Bulls drivers performed, he said: “Isack Hadjar, bit of a star today, P8, Liam Lawson, 17th, so a very poor race again for Liam Lawson.
“Isack from P7, held P7, lost it to Lewis Hamilton on lap six, but then drove brilliantly with only Lewis Hamilton ahead of him, finished three seconds ahead of Alex Albon.
“Understeer for Lawson in the early stages, ran very long on the medium tyre on lap 34, went onto the soft tyre, that didn’t work, that was not a good strategy today, neither for Carlos Sainz, nor for Liam Lawson, wasn’t quick at the end.
“Well, let’s just hope that Bahrain, with a very different track, can be a bit kinder to Liam Lawson because in the quest to save his career, finishing 17th isn’t going to be brilliant for that.
“But, it’s understandable when it’s his first race in this car.”
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Liam Lawson ‘problem’ identified by Helmut Marko after the Japanese Grand Prix
Lawson faces a key issue that he’s gone from being above Tsunoda and Hadjar in the Red Bull pecking order to being in a much more precarious position in the space of three races.
Hadjar has received glowing praise from virtually every party in the paddock after his calamitous formation lap crash in Australia, and scoring his first points in Japan has only boosted his reputation.
Helmut Marko identified a problem with Lawson’s performance in Japan that he needs to resolve quickly.
Red Bull have high hopes for Arvid Lindblad, and he’s one of a handful of drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3 hoping to make an impression on Marko and Christian Horner.
Lawson showed during his first two spells with Racing Bulls that he’s more than capable of matching Tsunoda and therefore should be more than competitive in his battle with Hadjar.
He now needs to prove that his confidence hasn’t been too badly impacted by such a public declaration of a lack of faith in his abilities to avoid dropping off the grid completely.
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