For Marko, Liam Lawson was "like a boxer who was knocked down"

It's official since this Thursday, Liam Lawson will be replaced from the Japanese Grand Prix, third round of the 2025 season. Formula 1 scheduled for April 6, by Yuki tsunoda. Promoted from Racing Bulls to take over from Sergio Pérez at Red Bull, the New Zealander was thus dropped after only two Grands Prix within the Austrian team.

Helmut Marko, the Red Bull team's sporting advisor, has spoken out to the Austrian media oe24 about Lawson. Even though he acknowledges that "dhe misses the kilometers "Because of the turbo problem encountered during the third Free Practice session at the Australian Grand Prix, Marko judges that " What [Lawson] has done so far is of course insufficient. "" We need a second strong driver, if only for the team's tactics He adds.

The 81-year-old spoke out about Red Bull's decision to favor Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda during the winter. Yuki was too inconsistent, says the native of Graz (Austria). That's why we unanimously chose Lawson. But under the increased pressure, he wasn't able to deliver from day one in Australia. Then he went into a downward spiral. It's like a boxer who's been knocked down; it's very difficult to come out. In that sense, it was a mistake. (to put Lawson in the second Red Bull seat, editor's note).

Liam Lawson will, however, have the opportunity to relaunch his career at Racing Bulls, where he will be Isack Hadjar's teammate, in a car that has demonstrated great qualities in the first races of the season. It's true that the RB21 is difficult to drive, acknowledges Helmut Marko. The Racing Bulls is easier to handle and very fast on a qualifying lap. But in the race, it is significantly behind the Red Bull Racing car. »

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