Liam Lawson’s shaky start with Red Bull has not gone unnoticed, with former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve delivering a damning verdict on the young driver. Villeneuve, unimpressed by Lawson’s performance, went as far as to declare him worse than Sergio Perez.
The 2024 F1 season has been awash with controversy and uncertainty surrounding Red Bull Racing, primarily regarding who would partner with Max Verstappen. Initially, it seemed that Sergio Perez, who began the season in the seat and had a contract extension, was the chosen one. However, a subsequent decline in his performance cast doubts on his future with the team.
Red Bull then considered VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo as a potential successor, but he too faltered. After being dropped post-Singapore, Lawson was brought in to fill Perez’s shoes. However, the transition has been anything but smooth for the Kiwi driver.
Lawson’s struggle was evident right from the season opener in Australia, where he qualified 18th and did not complete the race. In contrast, his teammate Verstappen secured a third-place start and finished second. The pattern continued in the sprint race before the Chinese Grand Prix, with Lawson qualifying 20th compared to Verstappen’s second-place start.
The disparity in performance was further highlighted during the Grand Prix qualifying round, where Verstappen bagged a third-place start, while Lawson was relegated to the 14th spot. This is far from the performance that Lawson would have aspired to deliver.
While Verstappen has managed to keep his head above water despite the car’s balance issues, the same cannot be said for Lawson. During the sprint race pre-show on F1TV, Villeneuve pointed out that Verstappen is currently the only driver capable of contributing to the team’s development, given Lawson’s ongoing struggle.
Villeneuve went on to criticize Lawson, stating, “It’s worse than Perez right now, and this car needs to evolve. It needs to improve, and you cannot do it alone.” He also pointed out the harsh nature of the Red Bull Racing organization, noting that a bad weekend could lead to dismissal by Helmut Marko, who has little tolerance for underperforming drivers.
It’s a tough spot for Lawson, who has been consistently outperformed by the Racing Bulls junior team members in the past fortnight. Villeneuve commented that Red Bull’s driver pool is dwindling, adding more pressure on the young Kiwi.
Reflecting on Red Bull’s revolving door of drivers, Villeneuve noted the youthfulness of the recruits. He opined that they might not yet be ready or mature enough for F1, and under the pressure of Helmut Marko, they either had to toughen up quickly or face the axe.
As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Lawson to see if he can rise to the occasion, shake off the criticism, and prove his mettle in the challenging world of F1 racing.