Liam Lawson, the young New Zealander who recently stepped into the limelight with Red Bull in Formula 1, has responded defiantly to the claims of McLaren CEO, Zak Brown. The executive suggested that it should have been Yuki Tsunoda, not Lawson, in the Red Bull driver’s seat. Unfazed, Lawson has dismissed Brown’s comments, stating he “couldn’t care less.”
Lawson’s introductory weekend with Red Bull, on the iconic Australian Formula 1 circuit, was fraught with challenges. After being knocked out in the first qualifying round (Q1), his hopes to recover were cut short by a crash that abruptly ended his race. Throughout the practice sessions, he lagged behind his seasoned teammate, Max Verstappen. This left Lawson no choice but to admit he was “slow” in the RB21.
Despite these setbacks, Lawson was undeterred by the fact he was the Red Bull-backed driver with the lowest position on the grid. Tsunoda, who was conspicuously overlooked for the Red Bull team, propelled his Racing Bulls to a top-five finish.
Brown, seizing an opportunity to take a jab at Red Bull, argued that Tsunoda was more deserving of the promotion. He labelled Red Bull’s decision to go with Lawson as “strange.” Lawson, however, shrugged off Brown’s dig, stating, “I couldn’t care less what Zak says, to be honest with you. I don’t think I’ve spoken to him, ever and I haven’t read any social media over the last two weeks.”
This is not Lawson’s first rodeo with Formula 1. He has already had 12 race starts in the sport, with two stints at Racing Bulls before his move to the Red Bull parent team. Despite a rocky start to his Red Bull journey in Australia, Lawson is keen to build momentum, with four races scheduled in the next five weeks.
He said, “Always as a driver, if you have a good weekend, sometimes you want to sit on it for a little bit. Then you have a bad weekend, you just want to go racing again. So for me, yes, it’s good. But also, [it’s good] to have lots of races at the start of the season. We have a week off [after China] and then a triple header.”
With a packed schedule, Lawson is optimistic about gaining more experience and becoming more comfortable with the car. This experience, he believes, will be invaluable in supporting Red Bull’s ambitions in the Constructors’ Championship. The young driver seems unfazed by the criticism and is ready to prove his mettle on the track. The world will be watching as he navigates his journey in the fast lane with Red Bull.