Liam Lawson at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, April 2025. Photo: Photosport
The pressure keeps coming for Liam Lawson to register Formula One points after a third straight disappointing Grand Prix this year.
It was his first start for Racing Bulls this year after the main Red Bull dropped him after lacklustre performances in Melbourne and Shanghai. The New Zealander drove for Racing Bulls, Red Bulls' development team last year.
Red Bull's senior motorsport adviser Helmut Marko said qualifying had been a problem. Lawson qualified 14th of the 20 cars but moved into 13th on the grid due to a penalty against Carlos Sainz.
"But I think he will recover, and I hope in the next couple of races that he also makes it in the points," Marko said in a brief comment on Sky Sport.
He was more positive about the stable's other drivers - race winner Max Verstappen, Lawson's replacement at Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda, who finished 12th, and the other Racing Bulls driver, Isack Hadjar, who finished eighth.
After all the hullaballoo over his demotion Lawson was determined to make a strong showing at Suzuka but he had a rough start, with Tsunoda passing him in the first lap.
"I went a little bit wide in turn 13, and then it was just a train from there," Lawson said after the race.
Yuki Tsunoda Photo: photosport
The Racing Bulls team admitted that the tactic of leaving Lawson out on the track while other drivers pitted had not worked. They had been hoping for a safety car intervention, but that never happened.
When he did pit with 19 laps to go, he was back in the ruck, and couldn't progress from 17th.
"It definitely didn't work. Obviously, we'll review going forward," Lawson said after the race.
"It's nice to get it done and just move forward," he said of his first race back with Racing Bulls.
"We have two more weekends coming up, so I just want to get on with it."
The next Grand Prix is in Bahrain this weekend, followed by Saudi Arabia a week later.
Lawson said there were positives to take away from Suzuka, including Hadjar earning points for eighth place.
"I think from our side as well, there's been good things. Pace has been good, unfortunately, not right when it needed to be in quali. But I think overall, there's still things to take from it.
"I think in general, the car has been pretty good this weekend. Obviously, it takes a bit to adjust, to get used to it, but there were points where I felt very, very comfortable," he told reporters.
"We go to a new track next week, a new style of track compared to this place. So we'll keep chipping away."
