Liam Lawson faces rising pressure as Red Bull questions his pace, with a possible Suzuka switch already on the table.
The pressure is piling up on Red Bull Racing driver Liam Lawson, and it’s not letting up anytime soon.
After another tough weekend in China, speculation is growing around a possible demotion to Racing Bulls as early as Suzuka — with Yuki Tsunoda or rookie Isack Hadjar tipped as potential replacements.
Lawson finished 15th in Shanghai after starting from the pit lane, following a last-place qualifying. The team had made significant setup changes overnight to try and make the RB21 more forgiving — but it backfired.
“We went with a setup meant to make the car easier to drive and more balanced,” Lawson explained. “But it actually made things worse. The car was harder to handle, and we lost pace.”
Red Bull opted for aggressive changes, and Lawson started from the pits to test a softer configuration. The experiment, while educational, didn’t deliver results on race day.
“We wanted to learn, see how we could tame the RB21 a bit. It didn’t work, but there are still lessons to take from it. The sprint was a lot more promising — we had pace, we could fight. Today, not so much. But I know there are things I need to improve on too.”
Lawson had admitted earlier he needs more time to get up to speed — something that’s in short supply mid-season.
“We’re only two races in, but this isn’t the off-season. We’d love 60 days of testing, but that’s just not realistic with this car. Some other drivers had more off-season time, and we didn’t. It’s not an excuse — I know I have to adapt quickly.”
Horner: “The clock is ticking”
Team Principal Christian Horner wasn’t thrilled with the result either but backed the decision to shake things up.
“We took him out of parc fermé to try a bold new setup — there’s limited testing available, so we used the race to gather data,” said Horner. “That gave us 56 laps’ worth of insights we can use back at the factory.”
Could the car be made more drivable for Lawson?
“Fast cars are never easy to drive — that’s just how it is. But we’re chasing performance, and both drivers need to be performing at a high level if we want to fight for the Constructors’ title. You can’t win with just one car in the mix.”
On rumors of Lawson being swapped out before the next race, Horner stayed measured.
“We’ll have a meeting and debrief at the factory. Liam’s a talented driver. He’s pushing hard, but he’s struggling to find his rhythm in this car. We’re doing what we can to support him.”
So, is he under threat?
“F1 is a pressure game — time is always tight. He knows that. I hope he responds the right way. Let’s see what happens.”
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Lawson Under Fire as Red Bull Eyes Suzuka Shake-Up
Lawson Under Fire as Red Bull Eyes Suzuka Shake-Up
