Red Bull F1 driver Liam Lawson of New Zealand. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand driver Liam Lawson admits time is running out if he is to make an impression with the Red Bull team in Formula 1.
Lawson again failed to pick up any points in the Chinese Grand Prix over the weekend, after failing to finish in the opening round in Australia.
In both the sprint race and GP in Shanghai he was forced to start from pit lane after Red Bull decided to make changes to his car to try to make it and him faster.
It did not work.
In the sprint race, Lawson managed to pass the drivers he should have been in front of anyway and in the GP he was helped by three disqualifications and issues with a couple of other cars to finish 12th.
Red Bull's RB21 car is obviously difficult to drive, even four-time world champion and Lawson's team-mate Max Verstappen has admitted that.
It is commonly regarded as the toughest drive in the field, but when it is driven well it has been the fastest.
That is the issue for Lawson, he is still trying to find the sweet spot of the correct "window" to get the best out of the car.
"The window is really small, that is known, but honestly that is no excuse, I have to get a handle on it," Lawson told F1 TV.
"I think it is just time, unfortunately I don't really have time.
"To drive a Formula One car it takes a hundred percent confidence in what you're doing and it is not that I don't feel confident but the window is so small that I just seem to miss it."
Commentators have suggested that Lawson should have either finished last season or spent the off-season in an old Red Bull car to help him acclimatise.
Rules prevent extra testing in a new car, but a driver is permitted to drive a two-year-old car.
However, Lawson was already committed to his drive in the sister team at the end of the 2024 season.
Red Bull driver Liam Lawson goes off the track, 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. Photo: photosport
Red Bull boss Christian Horner had some sympathy for the 23-year-old.
"He's just struggling at the moment, finding the limit with this car and getting the most out of the car," Horner told Sky Sports television.
"Formula One is a pressure business, isn't it?," he said. "There's always time pressure. He knows that. Hopefully he'll respond accordingly and we'll see where we go."
There are already suggestions that Yuki Tsunoda, who Red Bull passed on when they selected Lawson, could swap places with the Kiwi in the next round in Japan.
Lawson doubted that his former team-mate would do any better.
"He can honestly say whatever he wants," he said of the Racing Bull driver offering his services. "I've raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him. And I did in F1 as well."
It does seem unlikely that Red Bull would dump Lawson this early in the season having previously said they would give him some time. But how long can they wait?
"[There was] always going to be speculation in the paddock. We'll take away the info and have a good look at it," Horner said.
The third round of the championship, the Japan Grand Prix is at Suzuka on 6 April.
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