Following comments by Zak Brown, the boss at McLaren, who criticized Red Bull’s decision to promote Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson has fired back. The Kiwi driver suggested that Brown’s comments were likely a result of him being upset after Lawson criticized their national anthem.
Red Bull made public in December that they had ended their relationship with Sergio Perez and had chosen Lawson to step into his shoes as Max Verstappen’s teammate for the F1 2025 season. Lawson, determined to prove his mettle, has declared: “Now it’s my time”.
However, Lawson’s tenure with Red Bull has been far from smooth sailing. His journey began with a stumbling start at the Australian Grand Prix, where he was eliminated in Q1 and subsequently crashed during the race. His bad luck persisted into the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint when he suffered an early qualifying exit and came in last in SQ1.
Despite putting up a brave fight in the Sprint, his performance in the qualifiers was disappointing. The young driver himself admitted that it was “not good enough” and acknowledged that his performance was the slowest, leaving him without a single point this season.
On the other hand, Tsunoda, Lawson’s rival, has been showing impressive form. At the Australian Grand Prix, Tsunoda achieved a career-best P5 position in qualifying. Despite a pit wall strategy mishap, he managed to secure P8 in Saturday’s Sprint and brought his Racing Bulls car to a sixth-place finish. He continued his strong performance with a P9 in the qualifiers at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Brown, observing the contrasting performances, suggested that Tsunoda was the more deserving candidate for the Red Bull seat. He criticized Red Bull for their “strange driver choices”.
However, Lawson remains unfazed by Brown’s criticisms. In an interview with The Telegraph, he stated that he “couldn’t care less” about Brown’s opinion and suggested that Brown might still be upset about Lawson’s previous comments on his national anthem.
When asked about his thoughts on Tsunoda missing out on the Red Bull promotion, Lawson responded candidly, saying he had “no sympathy”. He pointed out that throughout their careers, he had consistently outperformed Tsunoda, beating him in F3 and Euro Formula. He also mentioned that he had outdone Tsunoda in their previous F1 season. Lawson maintained his stance, stating, “He’s had his time. Now it’s my time.”
Despite facing a challenging weekend, Lawson remains confident in his ability to overcome adversity. He believes that the pressure and exposure that come with competing in Formula 1 are essential for any driver’s readiness. Lawson reassured fans of his self-belief, saying, “I’ve never lost confidence in me.” He also mentioned that despite the difficulty of competing on a new track, he is learning with each passing weekend.