The Red Bull Racing Formula One team is all set for a meeting at its headquarters in Milton Keynes this week, as confirmed by the team’s senior advisor, Helmut Marko. When compared to the dominant start Red Bull showcased last year, the team hasn’t slotted to top gear this year due to a lack of competitive pace on the RB21 F1 car, and performance struggles being faced by Max Verstappen’s new teammate, Liam Lawson.
The four-time world champion missed out on a podium finish in the weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, while Lawson advanced to the twelfth position following the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly after the race after their cars failed to clear FIA’s post-race scrutiny.
Lawson qualified last for the Chinese GP sprint race and Grand Prix (pit lane start), raising questions about Red Bull’s decision to replace Sergio Perez with him after the 2024 season. Yuki Tsunoda was also being assessed alongside Lawson for the Red Bull seat but the latter was chosen for his reported ability to perform under pressure.
Now though, with the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix two weeks away, Red Bull is set to work on the shortcomings to make the most of the race at Suzuka. Confirming the meeting in Milton Keynes this week, Marko told Sky Germany, as quoted by Planet F1:
“This week there is a meeting in Milton Keynes to discuss when and how we can close the gap.
“Until then, it’s about scoring as many points as possible.
“We are worried, but it is not like we are throwing in the towel.”
Speaking after the Chinese GP, Lawson admitted he wasn’t happy about his performance but was trying his best to adapt to the car as quickly as he could. He said:
“It’s safe to say that we’re not happy. None of us are happy. I don’t know what more you want me to say to that, really.”
He added:
“I think Max is able to get in and have the car on the limit, knows where the limit is everywhere, and be comfortable with it, and it’s just something I’m figuring out.
“It’s obviously extremely tough. It’s not something I’m enjoying, but I’m honestly working as hard as I can to get on top of it.”
The pressure to perform must be high on Lawson, who clearly needs more hours to adapt to a car that was reportedly built around Verstappen’s driving style, considering he was leading the championship for Red Bull thus far.
Did Red Bull make a mistake by not building a car that suited most drivers? Especially since Perez had similar feedback about the car last year and came under intense pressure to close the performance gap with Verstappen. Only time can answer that.
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