Liam Lawson’s Formula 1 future with Red Bull Racing is under intense speculation following a challenging weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The 23-year-old New Zealander, already under pressure after a disappointing debut in Australia, faced further setbacks in China, leading to questions about his continued seat with the team.
Lawson’s weekend began poorly, qualifying last in both the Sprint Qualifying and the main Qualifying session.
His struggles prompted Red Bull to make significant set-up changes ahead of the Grand Prix, forcing him to start from the pit lane for the second consecutive race. Despite this, he could only manage a 15th-place finish, later elevated to 12th due to post-race disqualifications.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner faced a barrage of questions regarding Lawson’s performance and future with the team. “I think Liam’s had a tough couple of races, a tough weekend here,” Horner acknowledged. “We elected to take him off the grid, out of Parc Ferme, to do a significant set-up change, so we managed to get 56 laps of reasonable data from that. Obviously, we’ll take that away, we’ll have a good look at it, and as a group we’ll do our best to support him.”
However, when pressed on media reports suggesting a potential driver change as early as the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, Horner remained evasive.
“There’s always going to be speculation in the paddock. As I say, we’ve only just finished the race here, we’ll take away the info and have a good look at it.”
He reiterated this stance when directly asked if Lawson would race at Suzuka, stating, “Look, I think everything is purely speculative at the moment. As I say, we’ve just finished this race, we’re going to take away the info and have a good look at it.”
Horner emphasized Lawson’s potential but acknowledged his current struggles. “I think Liam still has got potential, we’re just not realising that at the moment. I think the problem for him is he’s had a couple of really tough weekends and he’s got all the media on his back. The pressure just naturally grows in this business. I feel very sorry for him that he’s… you can see it’s very tough on him at the moment.”
He added, “He’s a young guy, we’ve got a duty to look after him. We’re going to do the best that we can to support him. Liam’s still a very capable driver, we know that, we’re just not… for whatever reason, we’re not seeing him able to deliver that at the moment.”
Speculation also arose regarding potential replacements, with Racing Bulls drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar being mentioned. Horner acknowledged their strong performances, but declined to comment on any potential driver changes.
“I’m not even going to comment on a change, because that will be your first headline,” he stated. “As I say, we’re two races into this championship, we have a sample of two [races]. We have quite a bit of information, so we’re going to go away and have a good look at it, work with Liam, and do the best we can for him.”
The team will now analyze the data gathered from Lawson’s race in China, focusing on his adaptation to the car and identifying the causes of his inconsistency.
