In the high-stakes world of Formula 1, the pressure is always on, and for Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, the heat is particularly intense. The recent Chinese Grand Prix proved a challenging weekend for the young racer, prompting Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, to address Lawson’s current performance and future within the team.
Lawson, who started from the pit lane at the Chinese Grand Prix, managed only a 15th place finish, a stark contrast to Max Verstappen’s 4th place. These results were less than impressive for a driver in his early days with Red Bull, a fact that Lawson himself acknowledged, stating that his performance was “not good enough”.
Formula 1 is a realm where time is of the essence, and Lawson’s acknowledgement of the fact that he doesn’t have time to adjust to the ‘senior’ Red Bull squad signals his understanding of the situation. However, with Verstappen sitting comfortably in second place in the Drivers’ Championship after just two races, Lawson’s lack of points with his new team has not been overlooked.
Horner, when asked about Lawson’s future with the team, conceded that there is indeed “time pressure”. He expressed his hope that Lawson would rise to the challenge, saying, “Formula 1 is a pressure business, isn’t it? And there’s always time pressure — and he knows that.”
Despite his current struggles, Horner remains supportive of Lawson, praising his racing spirit and commitment to the sport. He acknowledged Lawson’s current difficulty in finding the limit with the Red Bull RB21, but affirmed the team’s commitment to helping him improve.
One potential explanation for Lawson’s lower performance compared to Verstappen is the narrow operating window of the Red Bull RB21. Despite the improvements over its predecessor, the RB21 is still a challenging machine to handle. However, when asked if he would compromise performance for driveability, Horner was clear, stating, “You’re always going for ultimate performance.”
Horner emphasized the need for both Red Bull drivers to perform at their best, stating, “Fast cars are never easy cars to drive, but we know that there’s performance that we need to find, and we need both drivers up there if there’s to be any chance of fighting for a Constructors’ Championship, and at the very least with the Drivers’ Championship as well.”
The stakes are high, and the pressure’s on. It remains to be seen how Lawson will navigate these challenges and find his stride in the high-speed world of Formula 1.
