F1 pundit asserts Liam Lawson will need to ‘live’ with Max Verstappen centric Red Bull car
Max Verstappen is clearly Red Bull's No.1 driver, requiring incoming Liam Lawson to adapt to the Dutchman's racing environment.
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Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson (via IMAGO)
Red Bull in the hands of Max Verstappen has viruatlly ended multiple drivers’ careers. While Liam Lawson would be getting his shot at race-winning machinery, he is also walking into the lion’s den. This led F1 pundit Gary Anderson to claim that the Kiwi would have to live with Verstappen-centric car(and team) in his first season at Milton Keynes.
Liam Lawson has largely been regarded as a great talent in the F1 world. The 22-year-old started soaring headlines since his highly successful F2 campaign in 2022. However, he did not immediately secure a promotion to the pinnacle of racing.
This soon changed as he subbed in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo in 2023. Moreover, he later went on to become the cause for the Aussie’s sacking the subsequent year as the 22-year-old was able to gain the trust of the Red Bull hierarchy.
With Lawson’s six outings last year against Yuki Tsunoda, the Austrian giant reckoned him worthy of a seat on the senior team and snubbed out the Japanese driver to promote him. However, experts including Gary Anderson have raised concerns over how the Kiwi would perform alongside Max Verstappen at a team that has been forged to cater to the needs of the Dutchman.
As he’s done since seeing off Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen will lead the team in the way he wants the car, and Liam Lawson will have to live with that and just hope he can come up with the driving style required to bring some big points-scoring results home.
Gary Anderson said (via The Race)
Despite such concerns, Lawson would not be anxious as he has portrayed his abilities during the 2024 season. So, the Kiwi would only have to act as the rear-gunner for his first season while the team further evaluates him.
Yuki Tsunoda would be aiming to prove Red Bull wrong for choosing Liam Lawson
Red Bull rewarded Lawson for his patience with a promotion to Milton Keynes. On the contrary, this left out Tsunoda, who has been the longest-serving Red Bull B-team driver and would have been frustrated witnessing being snubbed out for the Kiwi at the senior team.
Subsequently, Anderson asserted that 2025 would be a year to prove for both Lawson and Tsunoda. The Japanese driver would have to convince Red Bull that they made the wrong decision. This would grant him the opportunity to remain in the fold for much longer.
Yuki Tsunoda has to prove that the mothership made the wrong choice. He also has to prove he is faster than new boy Isack Hadjar.
Gary Anderson said (via The Race)
On the other hand, Isack Hadjar is coming off a respectable season of F2. He would be aiming to bring down the reign of Tsunoda at RB. Thus, Yuki Tsunoda has a target behind his back heading into his fifth season in F1.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)