It was the previous low point of a completely screwed up Liam Lawson season in Formula 1 for Red Bull: As 20 and the last one flew in Q1 from qualifying at the Grand Prix of China in Shanghai, while his teammate and world champion Max Verstappen drove up as usual. Red Bull’s long -time motorsport consultant Dr. Helmut Marko subsequently avoided every loyalty to Lawson.
“This is not what we expected,” said Red Bull Motor Sports Consulent Helmut Marko at the “Sky” microphone, how he felt the performance of the 23-year-old in Shanghai on Saturday
Ex-world champion Jacques Villeneuve had already meant before the sprint that Red Bull would have been better to keep his old driver pairing. “At the moment it is worse than with Perez,” the Canadian had judged – and is right: Because the last in a row the Mexican never became.
But that happened in China Lawson, who had only finished 20th in sprint qualifying, while teammate Max Verstappen had driven into the first row. Apparently it was not a slip, because the Grand Prix will only tackle the newcomer to the last starting place.
Also the former Haas team boss and RTL-Expert Günther Steiner fears that the thread of patience in the Liam Lawson personnel will not be too long for the Red Bull decision-makers: “I just don’t think he can shoot in the car. You have to give him a few more races. But I don’t think Red Bull will not give him much time,” said Steiner about the poor performance of the stacking team.
At least Lawson did not look for excuses himself. On his last Q1 round, he was very badly disabled by Pierre Gasly, who was pushing in front of the New Zealanders shortly before the last fast round and thus went on the scorched round.
RTL and RTL+* Transfer the Grand Prix of China (from 7:00 a.m.) live as part of the super sports Sunday. In the evening it will be exciting during the second leg in the Nation’s League quarter-finals between Germany and Italy from 8:15 p.m.
Marko: “Formula 1 is a competitive sport”
“That shouldn’t be the reason why I didn’t make it into Q2. We should have made it with the first round,” says Lawson self -critically. “That is something I have to work on.” And also that he could make some positions in the sprint, he doesn’t want to talk nice: “I’m sitting in a Red Bull, 14th place is not acceptable,” he waves.
Helmut Marko made no secret of his dissatisfaction whether the Lawson performance and made it clear: “It was disappointing, and we have to look at and analyze everything. Then we continue to see.” This means that this means in plain language: After two racing weekends, Liam Lawson’s cockpit will shake questionably at Red Bull.
Asked whether you could take an exchange during the season must first think about Marko, but then says: “Formula 1 is a competitive sport.”