Former Haas Method 1 boss Guenther Steiner believes Liam Lawson suffered a disastrous begin to the 2025 season as a result of he couldn’t deal with the stress of being a Pink Bull driver.
Lawson struggled a lot with the RB21 in Australia and China that Pink Bull made a dramatic choice to exchange him with Yuki Tsunoda for the rest of the season.
The power drinks big had excessive hopes from the Kiwi after he carried out nicely throughout 11 appearances with AlphaTauri/RB in 2023/24, however he certified nineteenth for the season opener in Australia after which crashed out of the principle race in moist situations.
With Lawson exhibiting little progress in China, the place he set the slowest time in each qualifying periods and completed a distant twelfth within the race, the administration concluded that he wanted to spend extra time at Racing Bulls.
Whereas the RB21 has proved to be an extremely troublesome automotive to drive, the 23-year-old was over a second slower than teammate Max Verstappen in Melbourne qualifying and 0.75s down on the Dutchman in Q1 at Melbourne.
Steiner thinks Lawson underperformed within the opening two rounds of the season as a result of he put an excessive amount of stress on himself after becoming a member of Pink Bull, citing his earlier F1 document within the midfield as proof that he’s able to producing strong outcomes.
“If Liam Lawson can be going persistently in Q2 or typically Q3, [then it would be a different story],” Steiner informed The Pink Flags Podcast. “It is solely three qualifyings, however he by no means made it out of Q1. And the opposite man [Verstappen] is all the time within the prime 4. It is bizarre.
“He can’t beat [Verstappen], it is absolutely comprehensible, however he’s a second slower. A second.
“When Checo was there final yr, when he was a half a second off, we have been all devastated, ‘How can he be half a second off?’
He added: “I believe it’s a Liam Lawson drawback. If you’re half a second slower than your teammate, you’re already quite a bit slower, however being over a second, it is a [huge] distinction.
“I do not know what’s [at the root of the issue] as a result of after they put Liam Lawson put within the Racing Bulls, he did a very good job – he did a good job. So no situation there.
“However getting in there [Red Bull], he simply can’t do it. Possibly he put an excessive amount of stress on himself. Possibly that is what it’s – an excessive amount of stress.”
Lawson had by no means raced on the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne earlier than 2025, whereas his solely expertise on the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit got here throughout an Asian F3 marketing campaign in 2018.
Furthermore, the Australian GP was closely affected by rain, whereas the China weekend ran to the dash format, limiting drivers to a single apply session on Friday.
Steiner believes Pink Bull ought to have waited till the Japanese GP earlier than making a call, as Lawson has latest expertise driving at Suzuka in each F1 and Tremendous Method equipment.
“He has by no means raced in Australia, by no means raced in China, however let him go to Japan,” stated Steiner.
“He is aware of the race observe, no less than you understand how good he’s. There’s not that excuse anymore, or that unknown. He is aware of Suzuka. He drove there in Tremendous Method that are very quick automobiles.
“If he can do it there, no less than he has obtained the hope. If he does not get it finished in Japan, it is time to change.”
Excessive expectations from Tsunoda
After Pink Bull determined to cancel Sergio Perez’s contract on the finish of final yr resulting from poor outcomes, it confronted a alternative between Lawson and Tsunoda for 2025.
Lawson was initially given the nod regardless of his restricted expertise in F1, however Pink Bull has now determined to provide Tsunoda an opportunity at its flagship workforce.
Steiner believes Tsunoda might be on the tempo immediately at Pink Bull, having been impressed by how he has matured as a driver after a careless begin to his grand prix profession in 2021
“I believe he’ll take it into Q3,” Steiner stated of Tsunoda. “Yuki in the meanwhile is doing good. He’s doing superb in my view.
“Yuki was in the beginning just a little little bit of a large number, to say the least. However now I believe he has obtained his act collectively, he’s fast, and constant. Within the final races there was all the time a difficulty. In Australia and China, there have been technique points and in China the wing broke.
“Then you definitely additionally discover how good Yuki Tsunoda is in a Pink Bull. In the meanwhile it does not seem to be he’s at Pink Bull subsequent yr, but when he’s doing a very good job there subsequent yr, possibly he might be there. Give him the possibility, you don’t have anything to lose.”
