Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson dismisses Zak Brown’s criticism of Red Bull. The McLaren CEO was asked about the transfer rumors surrounding Max Verstappen in the run-up to the British Grand Prix. Brown praised the Dutchman and suggested that Red Bull, without the four-time world champion, would even be behind sister team Racing Bulls. Lawson, who raced for both Red Bull teams this year, thinks this is an oversimplification.
“Without Max Verstappen, Red Bull would be behind Racing Bulls,” Zak Brown said ahead of the race weekend in Silverstone. “Racing Bulls is doing fantastic and really has an amazing car. As for Red Bull – I think Verstappen is currently carrying the entire team on his shoulders.” This is not the first time all of Red Bull’s success has been attributed to the Dutchman. A look at the current standings in the championship says enough; of the 162 World Championship points that Red Bull has achieved, a whopping 155 are credited to Verstappen.
‘He doesn’t understand’
Several drivers were confronted with Brown’s statements, including Liam Lawson. He raced two Grands Prix for Red Bull earlier this year but failed to score points for the Austrian team. Nevertheless, he hit back hard in conversation with the international press. “I think Zak Brown really doesn’t understand this,” he responded sharply. According to the New Zealander, the American McLaren CEO is too far removed from Red Bull to make statements about the team’s competitiveness.
“It’s very easy to say something about certain things when you’re not directly involved,” Lawson explained. “He doesn’t see the bigger picture. So I don’t think he understands how it really is.” The New Zealander has now delivered strong performances at Racing Bulls, with the highlight being the recent Austrian GP. There he finished impressively in sixth place, which now puts him above Yuki Tsunoda – his replacement at Red Bull – in the drivers’ standings.
