How long will Red Bull give Liam Lawson after latest disaster?
Liam Lawson already faces huge pressure after a poor start to life as a Red Bull F1 driver.
The pressure is already mounting on Red Bull’s Liam Lawson after his disappointing weekend continued at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix.
Lawson qualified 20th and last and could only finish 14th in the China sprint race, before suffering a second consecutive Q1 elimination in regular grand prix qualifying on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Kiwi will start Sunday’s race in Shanghai from P20.
It has been a hugely challenging start to life at Red Bull for Lawson, who crashed out of his debut race in wet conditions at last weekend’s season opener in Australia.
Lawson was promoted after just 11 grand prix starts spread over two years for Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls as a replacement for the underperforming Sergio Perez.
After just two weekends in the Red Bull hotseat alongside Max Verstappen, Lawson is already finding himself facing massive scrutiny.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after his early exit from qualifying, Lawson admitted “I don’t really have time” to find confidence in the RB21.
"I think it's just time,” he responded when asked what he needs to get on top of his early struggles, before adding: “Unfortunately I don't really have time, but it's just one of those things.
“I mean to drive a Formula 1 car, it takes 100% confidence in what you're doing and it's not that I don't feel confident, but the window's so small that right now I just seem to miss it. It's that that I just need to get a handle on.
"So yeah, I don't know how else to put it really, it's just not good enough.”
How long will Red Bull’s patience last?
Adding to Lawson’s current woes, Yuki Tsunoda, the driver who was overlooked by Red Bull for F1 2025 promotion, continues to flourish at their sister team.
If Lawson continues to flounder while Tsunoda shines, it won’t be long before the question gets asked about the pair swapping seats - something Red Bull have history of doing.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who strenuously defended Lawson amid a difficult weekend in Melbourne, has already shifted his tone slightly.
"It's been a tough day in the office for him today so we'll have a good look at it and go through it and obviously try and give him the best car for tomorrow,” Horner told Sky Sports.
When directly asked if Lawson is simply not a quicker driver than Perez, Horner gave a short response: “As I say, we’ll have a good look at it, and yep, we’ll do what we can tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Helmut Marko told Sky Germany that Red Bull will analyse Lawson's data but suggested the team are well-positioned when it comes to driver options.
Marko did not rule out a swap during the season, replying "F1 is a competitive sport" when asked that very question.
Assessing Lawson’s early performances, Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok stressed the importance of him being given more time.
"I think you've at least got to give him half a dozen races,” Chandhok said.
"Clearly it's not an easy car to drive and if you drop Yuki or Isack into it, you have to give them half a dozen races before you judge them. It's a bit unfair to judge before that.
"We've got the first five flyaways before we go to Europe and I imagine that'll be a natural point where there is some sort of conversation."
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