Liam Lawson’s sacking after the first two races of 2025 came as a shock to the F1 community. But at the same time, it made prominent paddock members point out the extreme difficulty in car handling. It brought back memories of Alex Albon comparing driving a Red Bull to playing Call of Duty at the highest mouse sensitivity.
Even Sergio Perez, in his recent interview with ESPN, claimed people were finally realizing the problems he faced, which led to his removal in 2024. “Now, all of a sudden, people realise how difficult the car is to drive. When I joined Red Bull, there had been great drivers who had struggled — Alex [Albon], Pierre [Gasly], they are fantastic drivers, and they struggled.”
“I spent so long in Red Bull that everyone forgot how difficult the car is to drive, so that was tricky,” said Perez. But for Guenther Steiner, it’s not a good enough excuse. He believes the car is difficult to drive for Max Verstappen, too. However, he is still getting results.
“I mean, Max Verstappen doesn’t like the car, but he’s still fast,” said Steiner to TalkSPORT.
The former Haas boss added that Lawson’s struggles could be rooted in his lack of experience and the pressure to go against the reigning world champion.
“It’s just experience getting in the car, obviously you need to explain him, guy, this is an opportunity for you, you know, instead of stopping your career, killing your career, we allow you to go in the Racing Bulls, where he raced before, last year, a few races for them, he knows the people there, take the opportunity to learn, and to come back, and then get back to your good old. I think it’s just like going into the big team, call it, Red Bull, with Max Verstappen, the man, you know, it’s just a lot of pressure.”
Steiner’s argument contradicts the widespread belief that Red Bull cars over the years have been designed to suit Verstappen’s preferences. However, the Dutchman himself has spoken about the car’s lack of performance this year, which may hinder his chances of retaining the title.
Liam Lawson was shocked to be dropped by Red Bull after just two races.
He was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.#BBCF1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/XFWSe8G2wp
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 2, 2025
It is important to mention that Verstappen has expressed his disappointment with the frequent changes in his teammates. Reportedly, he has urged his team to focus on resolving the drivability issues rather than continuously replacing the second driver.
While Red Bull acknowledges Verstappen’s point, Chief Advisor Helmut Marko also argued that Liam Lawson’s loss of confidence played a role in his swap with Yuki Tsunoda—a decision supported by Steiner.
Nevertheless, in Japan, the spotlight is on Tsunoda, who has finally secured his long-awaited drive with Red Bull. If he performs consistently over the next 22 races, Red Bull may come to regret not giving him a chance sooner.
