Lawson ‘would be faster’ at Racing Bulls – Verstappen
Mar.23 (GMM) Liam Lawson shouldn’t be too disappointed if he is dropped by Red Bull Racing.
That’s the suspicion of quadruple world champion Max Verstappen, who is struggling to hide his discontent with life at the wheel of his 2025 car at present.
The Dutchman is well in contention for his fifth consecutive drivers’ world championship this year, but he seems unimpressed with his car – the same one new teammate Liam Lawson has been dead-slowest in all weekend in China.
Red Bull is already considering dropping Lawson and replacing him with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar. But Verstappen warns Hadjar that he might be in for a nasty shock.
“That Racing Bulls car is easier to drive than ours,” Verstappen told Dutch journalists in Shanghai. “I notice that when I talk to Liam. Last year the difference between him and Yuki (Tsunoda) wasn’t that big, I thought. Otherwise the team wouldn’t have made the choice to put Liam in at Red Bull.
Rumours that Verstappen could trigger a performance clause in his Red Bull contract later this year and switch to Mercedes or Aston Martin for F1’s new era beginning in 2026 have become a permanent fixture of the paddock.
Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport sides with Verstappen on the issue of Lawson’s current struggle.
“Red Bull must recognise that there’s no ideal driver to put next to Verstappen,” correspondent Michael Schmidt reported from China. “Not in the current configuration.
“The Dutchman is too good and the car is too bad.”
Verstappen, 27, is also becoming more vocal about Red Bull’s problems. “As a driver I always look at myself first and I am always critical,” he said.
“I always try to maximise and help the team to improve the car. It is clear that we are not where we want to be.”
Team advisor Dr Helmut Marko, however, is much more upbeat, declaring after qualifying on Saturday: “The gap to McLaren is clearly less than we thought. It’s now about a tenth, if you combine the ideal sector times.
“So everything is still open.”
However, when asked if he can win on Sunday, Verstappen insisted: “Only if everyone ahead of me retires.
“No, really. We’re not fast enough at the moment. I think my lap was good, but it was very tricky because the car balance wasn’t consistent and changed practically from corner to corner.
“I can attack in the corners, but sometimes the car’s feedback doesn’t match my input,” he added. “And that makes it difficult to take every corner perfectly. In the race, the tyres degrade more than the others, and that’s obviously far from ideal.
“As far as my driving is concerned, I feel very good, especially compared to previous years. But if you don’t have the basic pace, you can’t do much.”
And so, Verstappen hinted that losing his Red Bull seat wouldn’t be the end of the world for Lawson. “If you look at the difference between the two drivers at the other teams, they are all closer together,” said the 27-year-old.
“That shows how difficult our car is to drive. And the gap to the front is bigger than last year too. It is clear that we are not in a good position. Am I worried? Yes, that’s allowed, right?
“I honestly think Liam would go faster if he’s in the Racing Bulls car. I really think so,” Verstappen said.
Verstappen’s comments come at an awkward time for Red Bull, as CEO Oliver Mintzlaff is in Shanghai for the Chinese GP.
The reigning world champion at least has good words to say about Red Bull’s junior team. “They are doing very well,” said Verstappen. “They are very close to me.
“Maybe that says something.”
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