Yuki Tsunoda has finally been given the green light to join Red Bull, with newcomer Liam Lawson being sacrificed after just two Grands Prix in favor of the Japanese driver. Experts and analysts are collectively questioning why Lawson was brought to the main team this year and why the team has lost faith in him after only two races. Following this latest sudden reshuffle, the Austrian racing stable is facing considerable criticism.
Former Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde posted a lengthy message on his Instagram on Thursday: a plea for Liam Lawson, in which he criticized the Red Bull team management’s approach. “I’m getting a bit tired of all the commentary that Formula 1 is the toughest sport when it comes to performance and that if you underperform, you just have to face the consequences,” he wrote. “Yes, you have to perform, and yes, the pressure is immense. But in my opinion, this is more akin to bullying or a panic reaction than to real top performance.”
“Red Bull made a decision – fully aware – and gave Lawson two races, just to crush his enthusiasm,” Van der Garde continued. “Don’t forget how much work and dedication he has put into his career so far to reach this level. Yes, he underperformed in the first two races, but if anyone is aware of that, it’s him. Maybe he suggested this himself, but if not, I wish him all the strength and courage to perform well in Japan. Trust in yourself and prove them wrong.” An interesting detail: Max Verstappen has since liked Van der Garde’s post. Multiple sources reported this week that he disagreed with the decision to show Lawson the door so soon.
‘The Car is the Problem’
Commentator and fellow analyst Allard Kalff emphasizes that Lawson is not to blame for the lack of performance at Red Bull. Of course, he failed to score points in the last two races, but that does not negate the fact that the team simply delivered a mediocre car. “Red Bull paid millions to Sergio Pérez to clear the field, just to prove that he was not the problem,” he wrote. “The car is the problem, not the drivers.”
Driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shared a similar opinion in a recent episode of Formula 1 Paddock Talk: “Helmut Marko is simply clumsy. Of course, he has picked out a few talents and done nice things, but he is now a bit sour. Yuki Tsunoda is now doing well within Racing Bulls and that car is now good. It would be a shame to take that away now. And he’s not going to drive better in that Red Bull, rather worse,” Bleekemolen believes.
