In the aftermath of the controversial decision to replace Kiwi Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull and have Lawson step down to their sister team, Racing Bulls, Red Bull Team Advisor Helmut Marko admits promoting Lawson so soon was not the right call.
“Yuki was too inconsistent,” said Marko.
“That’s why we unanimously decided in favour of Lawson.
“But he wasn’t able to perform under the greater pressure right from the first day in Australia.
“Then he went into a downward spiral. It’s like a battered boxer; it’s very difficult to get out of it.
“From that point of view, it was a mistake (to pick Lawson).
“It’s true that the RB21 is difficult to drive.
“The Racing Bulls is easier to handle and very quick over a single qualifying lap. But in race conditions, it lags well behind the Red Bull Racing car.”
Tsunoda will become the fifth driver to partner Max Verstappen in the six seasons since Daniel Riccardo left the team at the end of 2018, showcasing a pattern within the Red Bull Team and painting a prominent picture of the ‘cut-throat’ inside environment and high expectations of the ‘Top Tier’ team.
Marko is a man of many words and the most vocal person on the Red Bull team. He has landed the team in some hot water over the years, including when he made a harsh statement about Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar’s incident at the season-opening Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Hadjar lost control of the rear of his car in wet conditions and ended up in the wall, unable to make it to the starting grid. Visibly upset, he walked back to the pits, and Marko branded the moment “embarrassing.”
Unsurprisingly, Marko’s comments were met with some heavy backlash. Sky Sports F1 questioned Team Principal Christian Horner on the matter in China after the race.
“Look, Helmut’s 82 years of age. He’s old school. He’s a guy who lost an eye, pulled over the car, and just turned the engine off. He will always have his own opinion, which he has the right to. Does everybody share that opinion? No.
“It was very sad to see him that upset. No doubt his team have got around him, but you forget how young they are. He’s 20 years of age, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him. He’ll be fine.” said Horner
Is it time for Marko to step down or at least step back from the team into a role that doesn’t involve public speaking?
The Japanese Grand Prix will be one to watch on April 4-6. One scenario is that Tsunoda won’t perform much better than Lawson in the RB21. In that case, it will prove once and for all that the car is the issue. Red Bull will backed into a corner and left embarrassed by how they have handled their season so far and, in their scapegoat, the panic move of swapping out Lawson, for which they are already under massive scrutiny.
All eyes will be on Lawson and Tsunoda, especially for Tsunoda, as it will be his home Grand Prix.
Lawson outperformed Tsunoda when they raced together in the previous Alpha Tauri team in Suzuka in 2023. He also has pole positions and podium wins under his belt at Suzuka when he ran there for Super Formula. He is also reportedly in the “easier to drive” car and potentially faster as the RB21 continues to have issues.
It’s game on for Japan in 7 days’ time.
Header Image: Peter Fox/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool
