Lawson’s Rocky Start: Horner Defends Rookie After Crash

Horner Backs Lawson After Tough Red Bull Debut Weekend

17/03/2025

Liam Lawson’s Red Bull debut ended in frustration, with a tough qualifying, a pit-lane start, and a race-ending crash in wet conditions.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has come to the defense of Liam Lawson after a challenging first weekend with the team.

After an underwhelming Friday, Lawson’s RB21 suffered an engine issue in FP3, preventing him from completing a single lap. His struggles continued into qualifying, where he was eliminated in Q1. Red Bull then made set-up changes under parc fermé conditions, forcing him to start from the pit lane.

His race came to an early end in the mid-race downpour. Sticking to medium tires, he lost control in Turn 2 and crashed into the barriers.

“It was a tough weekend for him. We adjusted the car to increase downforce because this track is extremely tricky in the rain,” Horner explained.

Horner: Risk Didn’t Pay Off, But Lawson Showed Promise

“We took a gamble by keeping him on slicks since he was outside the points. We thought, ‘Let’s take a chance—maybe it’ll pay off.’”

“But just at that moment, the rain intensified, so it’s hard to blame him for that final spin.”

Despite the disappointment, Horner highlighted a key positive: Lawson’s pace on dry tires.

“He actually set the second-fastest lap of the Grand Prix—1:22.9 compared to Max’s 1:23.0 and Lando’s 1:22.1. That’s a promising sign.”

However, missing FP3 put him on the back foot, and the pressure only mounted from there.

“He struggled in qualifying, going off twice—that was less acceptable,” Horner admitted.

Looking ahead, Horner acknowledged that Lawson’s next challenge won’t be any easier.

“Next weekend will be tough—it’s a sprint race on a track he’s never driven before.”

“He showed resilience in Melbourne, but that wasn’t a true reflection of what he’s capable of.”

Lawson’s debut may have been rough, but Red Bull isn’t writing him off just yet.

Lawson’s Rocky Start: Horner Defends Rookie After Crash.  Liam Lawson’s Red Bull debut ended in frustration, with a tough qualifying, a pit-lane start, and a race-ending crash in wet conditions.

Lawson’s Rocky Start: Horner Defends Rookie After Crash Lawson’s Rocky Start: Horner Defends Rookie After Crash

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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