Max Verstappen has come to the defense of former teammate Liam Lawson. The New Zealander inherited the Red Bull seat last year from the dismissed Sergio Pérez. His promotion was somewhat controversial, as Yuki Tsunoda had considerably more Formula 1 experience. However, after just two Grand Prix, Lawson was replaced by Tsunoda; a driver switch that Verstappen believes came too early.
During his end-of-year interview with Viaplay, Max Verstappen was asked about the dismissal of Liam Lawson. After a lengthy season, one might almost forget that the 23-year-old driver started the year with the main team. However, after two pointless finishes in Melbourne and Shanghai, he was quickly sacrificed in favor of Yuki Tsunoda. “Two races alongside one teammate, I didn’t agree with that at the time,” said Verstappen. “In the end, you’re ruining someone’s chances with a top team.”
‘Two races was much too soon’
Lawson returned to sister team Racing Bulls, where he ended up alongside rookie Isack Hadjar. “I think Lawson has recovered well,” Max Verstappen judged. “He could have also thought: ‘Forget it, the fun is over.’ Two races is certainly much too soon to pass judgement.” In the long run, the dismissal from Red Bull may have done Lawson some good. Yuki Tsunoda also faded during twenty-two Grand Prix races alongside Verstappen and has since lost his Formula 1 seat.
The lack of results from Tsunoda raised further questions about the setup of the Red Bull. Critics claimed that Verstappen’s car was set up more aggressively. “They (teammates) try to use my setup,” Verstappen admitted. “But ultimately, every driver has their own driving style. At some point, of course, you do grow closer to each other, especially in the second half of the season. We often drove according to the same philosophy, but I had a bit more understeer than Yuki.”
