Red Bull is considering an immediate change to the driver lineup following the struggle Liam Lawson experienced in the opening two races of the season.
Lawson replaced Sergio Perez in the winter after the Mexican scored just nine points in the final eight races of 2024. It was against the backdrop of Max Verstappen’s fourth driver finale of the championship, scoring 134 points over the same eight race period.
While Red Bull was not a race-winning car in the opening two races, Verstappen still managed to score 36 points, Lawson crashed in Australia and was classified as 12th after being disqualified in China.
Melbourne and Shanghai marked the first time Lawson has driven one of two circuits, but admitted they don’t think they’ll be given time to get used to the 2025 Red Bull.
“To be honest, we were even more competitive in the sprints, and we were able to pass the cars and move forward,” Lawson said. “It was just trying something in the setup to learn something. It was a huge step. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
“So there’s a lot to learn from this weekend. Personally, it’s been very tough because I do a lot for me too.
“I want to say we need more time to drive, but obviously we don’t really have that, so fortunately, we go to the trucks I know.
Lawson finished the Chinese Grand Prix for Verstappen, who finished fourth in a 56-lap race, representing a deficit of more than a second per lap. He raced for Suzuka in both Formula 1 and Super Formula, but the racers understand that Red Bull will discuss whether to deal with the situation before the next race in Japan. If there is a change, the most likely outcome is expected to be Lawson returning to the Racing Bulls and promotion to the horned Kingdom.
Lawson’s future is being considered, but the driver replacement is not certain. Red Bull seemed poised to drop Perez during the season last summer, but surprised many by choosing to stick to the line-up that remains the same after summer vacation.
In a growing report on Red Bull’s current situation, team principal Christian Horner refused to commit to Lawson in the next round at Suzuki.
“Look, I think everything is purely speculative at the moment,” Horner is quoted as saying by ESPN when asked if Lawson was still driving to a Japanese team. “We just finished this race, we take away the information and take a closer look.
“I think Liam still has a chance, he’s not realised at this point. I think the problem for him is that he had a really tough weekend. He has all the media on his back.
“There’s naturally increased pressure in this business. I’m very sorry that he’s him. For now, it turns out to be very difficult for him.”
Horner also told SkySport that Red Bull is considering Verstappen’s chances in the driver’s championship when considering the future of the second car.
“If there is the performance we need to find and the opportunity to compete for the constructor championship, then we need both drivers. We also need to play the second car for the driver championship.
“Formula 1 is a pressure business, and there’s always time pressure. Liam knows that. Hopefully he responds accordingly and see where we go.”