Jacques Villeneuve calls Liam Lawson “very arrogant” after brutal Red Bull demotion
“You have to bear in mind that he came into F1 very arrogant. He came into F1 last year saying how amazing he would be and he had an attitude.”
1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Liam Lawson’s ‘arrogance’ didn’t work in his favour following Red Bull’s brutal demotion.
On Thursday morning, Red Bull announced that Yuki Tsunoda would take Lawson’s place from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards
It means Lawson’s Red Bull stint has lasted just two races.
Lawson qualified 20th in the two qualifying sessions at the Shanghai International Circuit, forcing Red Bull to make a tough decision.
Red Bull cited a need for Tsunoda’s experience in helping the team turn the RB21 around from a development point of view.
Lawson will have the chance to rebuild his career at Racing Bulls, which has performed well in the opening two races.
Villeneuve thinks that Lawson’s attitude “set himself up” potentially for failure.
The Kiwi wasn’t afraid to be combative on or off track, annoying the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez last year.
Speaking to NZCasino, the Canadian said: “These two races didn’t do much good for him in the paddock. It’s very simple and that’s the risk. When you start with Red Bull you have to be on it right away.
“And that’s the price to pay for being put in the best team. You want to take that risk? Good. But then the opposite side is you’ll pay a dear price if it doesn’t work out. That’s just the way it is. And that’s okay. That’s how it should be. I thought they might give him another three races when they come back to Europe so they could then make a considered decision.
“You have to bear in mind that he came into F1 very arrogant. He came into F1 last year saying how amazing he would be and he had an attitude.
“When the results don’t come, it makes everybody react even stronger. It’s actually the worst result ever in a Red Bull car. So, he’s paying his own price there. He set himself up in a way.”
Lawson “can recover” at Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls have started the year well, often leading F1’s midfield in qualifying.
Isack Hadjar qualified seventh in China before dropping down the field due to poor strategy decisions from the pit wall.
Similarly, in Australia, after securing fifth place on the grid, RB’s poor strategy call meant Tsunoda finished outside the points.
Villeneuve thinks that Lawson can “recover” due to how quickly Red Bull have demoted him.
“Red Bull have the data that we don’t,” he added. “So they know that Lawson is just not there and Suzuka is a dangerous track. You don’t want to be there with the wrong mindset.
“They already have decided that as he appears to be burnt out, then you might as well change him as quickly as possible so maybe he can recover.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
