Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson has revealed that Red Bull Racing didn’t allow him enough time to adapt to the RB21 F1 car early this year. Lawson’s struggles with the car led Red Bull to demote him to its junior F1 team after the first two races of the 2025 season.
Lawson was assessed alongside Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls (then VCARB) during the second half of the 2024 season when Sergio Perez struggled to score points in the RB20. Red Bull faced challenges with the car’s balance, amplifying Perez’s challenges.
After the season finale, Red Bull decided to part ways with the Mexican driver and promoted Lawson to the seat alongside Max Verstappen. Tsunoda, on the other hand, missed out on the chance to race for Red Bull because the team claimed that Lawson performed more consistently.
However, Lawson finished with a DNF in the opening round in Australia, followed by a P12 in China, prompting Red Bull to reverse its decision. The Milton Keynes-based team demoted Lawson to Racing Bulls, while Tsunoda was promoted to Red Bull.
Since the demotion, Lawson showed signs of improvement by scoring points in Monaco and Austria. However, the New Zealander has now admitted that Red Bull didn’t allow him enough time to get comfortable with the RB21. He told the media:
“I didn’t have anywhere near enough time on two tracks that I had never been to to really understand [the car]. I didn’t have enough feel for the car to be able to comment on what its speed is like or things like that.
“We were working on things to improve it and make it better for me, and I never got the chance to use it, so all I can comment on is the Racing Bulls car because that’s what I’ve spent most of my time driving.”
Lawson then acknowledged that he was learning at Racing Bulls as the team looks for ways to improve the VCARB 02 F1 car. He added:
“We’re always learning and developing and trying things, and everybody has developed their cars, so we are not finding three-tenths of lap-time in an upgrade.
“We’re finding half-a-tenth, so it is small margins, and it is the first full season [I’ve had], so there are things along the way that I am learning.”
While the situation could be improving for Lawson, the same can’t be said for Tsunoda, who continues to face challenges with the RB21. With the car more suited to Verstappen, Tsunoda has managed to score points in just three races thus far. He sits in P17 in the Drivers’ Standings, trailing Lawson by just two points.
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