Lawson to get one more race to 'find his rhythm'

Mar.22 (GMM) Red Bull will wait one more race to start getting too worried about Liam Lawson.

After a horror opening weekend as Max Verstappen’s teammate in Melbourne, New Zealander Lawson, 23, was dead last in sprint qualifying as the action got going again in China.

Red Bull opted for Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda mainly because of his mental resilience – prompting McLaren CEO Zak Brown this week to blast the “strange” choice.

“I don’t listen to any of that too closely,” Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko told Servus TV in Shanghai.

“These are the usual shenanigans.”

He also told Osterreich newspaper: “Yuki lacked consistency last year. Unfortunately, nothing has come together for Lawson yet.

“However, it was overlooked that he was one of the fastest in the dry in Melbourne. So let’s not write him off just yet.

“Let’s wait for the first three races, which are all on very different tracks, and then we’ll get a more meaningful picture,” Marko added.

After watching Lawson qualify dead last for the sprint, Marko told Servus TV: “Australia was his first race, and he doesn’t know the track here in China either. That obviously makes things more difficult.

“He was doing well in his first run, then he couldn’t get the tyres up to temperature for the second.

“We thought he had found his rhythm, but it seems to be very difficult. The car, as he says, is more difficult to drive than the Racing Bulls car, but now he needs to slowly find his rhythm.”

As for Tsunoda, Marko is keeping his eye on the Japanese as well. “Yuki has made another leap forward from last year to this year. I’m talking about Yuki as a person, and as a driver.

“He has also changed his management and so far he is performing really well.”

Christian Horner is standing by Lawson for now.

“I think Liam’s got a pretty sensible head on his shoulders,” he said. “It’s been a tough baptism for him.

“I’ve told him to ignore the naysayers, ignore social media, put your head down and you’ll be fine. He just needs a bit of time.

“But Red Bull is a tough place,” Horner said. “Max has been with the team for almost ten years.

“We have a policy of supporting young talent, that’s why we are giving Liam this opportunity.”

Lawson is renowned as a straightforward, self-confident driver – but is his confidence already starting to take a knock?

“Mental fitness is important in this sport,” he acknowledged to Bild newspaper. “When you’re on track and have self-doubt, it affects the way you drive the car.

“I know I need that mindset to perform at my best.”

When asked if it’s his resilience rather than pace that secured him the seat over Tsunoda, Lawson answered: “I hope they went for me because they believe in me.”

Lawson recovered from dead last to finish 14th in the Shanghai sprint. “Thank God he made it to the finish,” said Marko.