Liam Lawson in trouble at Red Bull: « It’s just not good enough »
Shanghai didn't smile on Liam Lawson. He came last in qualifying for the third time in a row, and has continued to underperform. The New Zealander, who seems to be finding it hard to adapt to the RB21, is already under pressure.
Liam Lawson, freshly promoted to Red Bull, is having a weekend to forget on the Shanghai track. Qualifying last in Friday’s sprint, the New Zealand driver slightly improved by climbing to 14th place in the race. But in qualifying for the Grand Prix, it’s back to square one: last, 1.2 seconds off Oscar Piastri’s reference time.
His elimination in Q1, the third in a row since he took the wheel of the RB21, is beginning to seriously raise questions. With a visibly capricious car, the learning process is brutal for the young driver, who did not mince his words after his session: “I think it’s time. Unfortunately, I don’t really have the time,” he told the media, visibly frustrated.
An express adaptation, but an immense challenge
Propelled within one of the best teams on the grid, Liam Lawson has no room for error. Red Bull allows little leeway for drivers who struggle to perform, and time is against him. “It’s not that I don’t feel confident. But the window is so small that, for now, I’m missing it. I just need to take care of it. I don’t know how else to say it, but it’s just not enough,” he analyzed after his elimination in Q1.
And when we know that even Max Verstappen had trouble with the RB20 last year, the task looks even more complicated for the young driver who is no longer really considered a rookie today.
The demands of Red Bull are clear: no adaptation time, immediate performance is required. The problem is that for Liam Lawson, everything is new. He has never raced on the Australian and Chinese circuits and now has to face Suzuka, a legendary track where every mistake is costly.
« It’s really difficult, honestly. It’s known, but that’s not an excuse, as if I had to deal with it », he admitted. The room for maneuver is limited, and the young driver already finds himself in a situation where every race is a full-scale test for his future in F1.
The RB21, a machine still too specialized?
If the 2025 Red Bull seems more docile than last year’s car, it remains a difficult car to grasp, especially for a young driver. It was a chaotic session. If we hadn’t had to deal with traffic and that kind of thing, it could have been good, but, to be honest, it’s still not enough. Having these problems is why we’re eliminated, we should be fast enough on our first lap. It shouldn’t be a problem, I just need to have it under control, Lawson told the media after being eliminated in Q1.
The future of Lawson at Red Bull will depend on his ability to elevate his performance in the upcoming races. We know that patience is not a virtue with the bulls…
