Juan Pablo Montoya predicts an early exit for Liam Lawson from Racing Bulls if his performance does not improve quickly. The former Formula 1 driver and seven-time Grand Prix winner does not rule out the possibility of Red Bull talent Arvid Lindblad, currently active in Formula 2, making his debut in the premier class mid-season. So far, Lawson has not progressed beyond twelfth place at Racing Bulls, while rookie teammate Isack Hadjar has already finished in the points twice.
Liam Lawson, who impressed in recent years with Red Bull’s sister team – formerly AlphaTauri, now Racing Bulls – is going through a difficult period. After only two stand-in appearances for Red Bull’s main team, he had to give up his seat to Yuki Tsunoda. Since then, he has returned to Racing Bulls, but has yet to make much of an impression there. The fact that his inexperienced teammate Hadjar has so far performed better has not escaped Juan Pablo Montoya’s notice.
“If Liam (Lawson) does not improve quickly, I would not be surprised if they deploy Arvid Lindblad at some point,” Montoya told Spanish AS. “Not at all. I wouldn’t find it strange.” According to the Colombian, Lawson showed last year that he has a lot of potential, but the disappointment of missing out on a Red Bull seat still seems to be affecting him. “The situation at Red Bull was complicated,” Montoya explained. “I think it was a big blow, and that he needed a lot of psychological help afterwards.”
Lindblad Steps Up
Arvid Lindblad, only seventeen years old, made his debut in Formula 2 this year. Despite his young age, he has already accumulated enough super license points to be eligible to race in Formula 1. Whether the FIA will grant him an exception – as he only turns eighteen in August – remains unclear. The young Brit is considered one of the biggest talents within the Red Bull ranks.
Regarding a potential driver change, Montoya emphasizes Red Bull’s ruthless approach: “If Lawson doesn’t quickly recover, I’m sure Red Bull will start looking elsewhere. That’s just how they operate.” The Colombian drew a comparison with the recent developments at Alpine, where Franco Colapinto took over the seat from Jack Doohan. “It’s Red Bull,” he continued. “It’s a bit like Alpine now. If Franco (Colapinto) doesn’t perform, they will do exactly the same thing there.”
