Despite a rocky initiation into the Red Bull team during the 2025 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, Liam Lawson’s performance has garnered some positive remarks from team boss Christian Horner. Horner scrutinized the New Zealander’s debut, highlighting a silver lining amidst the numerous disruptions encountered on the Albert Park Circuit.
Lawson’s outing was marred by technical difficulties, resulting in a missed FP3 session and an unexpected Q1 departure during qualifying. The young driver’s struggle to adapt to the RB21 was further exacerbated on race day by fluctuating weather conditions. Lawson’s progress remained stagnant until a sudden downpour offered him a glimmer of hope.
This ray of hope, however, was short-lived as Lawson chose to remain on slick tyres during the 44th lap shower, leading him into a collision with the Turn 2 wall just three laps later. Despite the far from ideal outcome, Horner managed to extract a glint of positivity from the dry phase of the Grand Prix.
In a discussion with selected media outlets, including Motorsport Week, Horner acknowledged, “It was a difficult weekend for him.” He further explained the team’s strategy, “We changed the car to put a bit more downforce on it. It’s a very hard track to overtake at. We took the risk of leaving him out longer because he was outside the points.”
Horner went on to describe the reason behind Lawson’s crash, emphasizing that it’s hard to fault the driver for his last spin. Crucially, he underscored a moment of brilliance, “The one flash of light that he can take out of it is that on the dry tyres, he actually posted the second fastest lap time of the Grand Prix.”
Horner also touched on Lawson’s missed FP3’s impact, attributing the driver’s qualifying mistakes to inadequate preparation. “The problem is having missed FP3, on the back foot, and then the pressure builds,” he explained.
As Lawson gears up for a Sprint weekend in China on an unfamiliar circuit, Horner anticipates another challenging weekend. Yet, he commended Lawson’s resilience, asserting that the Australian GP wasn’t indicative of the driver’s true potential.
Concurring with Horner’s analysis, Lawson himself acknowledged his struggle after the race. Regarding the late tyre gamble, he admitted, “We took a chance, hoping that at least half of the track would stay dry. Unfortunately, it was bucketing down with rain.”
Lawson further expressed his difficulties dealing with tyre issues early in the race, summing up the Australian GP as a tough weekend. Despite these initial hurdles, Lawson’s potential is evident, and his journey in F1 2025 with Red Bull is one to watch closely.