Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher criticizes Red Bull for prematurely dismissing rookie Liam Lawson. After an emergency meeting of the team management in Dubai, Yuki Tsunoda is expected to take his seat; an official announcement is imminent. According to Schumacher, Red Bull’s decision feels ‘rushed and panicky’. Lawson is believed to have been given insufficient opportunities to prove himself.
Ralf Schumacher was one of the first to predict that Liam Lawson would be replaced by Racing Bulls’ star Yuki Tsunoda after another pointless finish in Shanghai. Nevertheless, he is astounded by Red Bull’s decision-making. The team management also affects Racing Bulls, which has already proven to have an extremely competitive car in the first two races of the current season. No wonder several experts have already suggested that Tsunoda might be faster in the VCARB 02 than in the RB21.
‘Unnecessarily Difficult’
“A lot of money is also spent at Racing Bulls,” Schumacher told Formel1.de. “They are finally in a stable situation with two good drivers who can work well with the team. Unfortunately, this is now being dismantled.” In the past two years, Red Bull’s junior team has had no less than four drivers. Yuki Tsunoda remained a stable factor, but Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson were rotated alongside him.
“I’m not saying it wouldn’t work with Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls, but I think it’s all being made unnecessarily difficult,” Schumacher continued. “To be honest, I’m a big fan of Red Bull and also of Helmut Marko’s approach. But when it comes down to it, this decision feels a bit rushed and panicky. Under normal circumstances, if you have as much money and structure as Red Bull, you wouldn’t act like this.”
Even though the driver swap has not yet been officially confirmed, it is already causing a lot of astonishment. Given the fact that Lawson has only been allowed to race in two Grands Prix, many fans believe he has been given too few opportunities. For instance, he won’t be able to race at Suzuka with Red Bull, a circuit he knows well from his time in Super Formula.”
