In the early stages of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Liam Lawson, the New Zealand driver, finds himself in the crosshairs of fans following an unimpressive performance at the Melbourne Qualifiers. The young rookie secured his Red Bull seat by replacing the popular Mexican driver Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, which has not sat well with Checo’s ardent fanbase. The fans have now taken their disappointment to a new level by dubbing Lawson as ‘Slowson’ due to his lacklustre display in Melbourne.
Lawson’s performance at the Australian GP left a lot to be desired as he was eliminated in the first Qualifying session. His weekend in Melbourne was marked by a struggle for pace, compounded by a car fault during FP3, which had him spending the entire session in the garage. Lawson’s own lapses during the Qualifying session didn’t help his cause, further fuelling the disappointment of fans.
Lawson’s woes in the qualifier were highlighted during two flying laps in Q1, ultimately leading to him aborting his final run at the penultimate corner. He expressed his frustration over the lack of tyres after veering off onto the grass. This means Lawson will be starting Sunday’s race in the 18th position, only ahead of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman from Haas.
Martin Brundle, during Sky Sports’ coverage, pointed out the palpable discontent among Checo’s fans. Social media was abuzz with fans expressing their disappointment over Lawson’s performance. Nicknames like ‘Liam Slowson’ began to trend as fans questioned the big talk around Lawson’s arrival in the team.
Speculation over Lawson’s future at Red Bull has already begun, with fans doubting his ability to see the season through. Some have even suggested replacing Lawson with Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, citing the recent performance as unacceptable.
Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez’s tenure at Red Bull had a lacklustre end in 2024, with him repeatedly failing to make it past Q1 and Q2, while his teammate Max Verstappen secured the Drivers’ Championship. Despite having the championship-winning driver, Red Bull could only manage third place in the Constructors’ Championship, underscoring Perez’s subpar performance.
Lawson, while assessing his performance, admitted to Sky Sports F1 that his qualifying session was less than satisfactory. He acknowledged the challenges of missing FP3 and the impact it had on his qualifying run. However, he also accepted his mistakes and admitted to underperforming during the qualifying session.
This underwhelming start to the season for Lawson, combined with the growing disillusionment among fans, puts a question mark over his future at Red Bull. Only time will tell whether he can bounce back in the upcoming races and win over the critical fanbase.