Lawson's poor beginning is a sign of Red Bull F1's issues, rather than the source of them.

      Liam Lawson has spent a total of 216 minutes racing his RB21 in Australia and China, equating to just seven hours in 2025. Before the 23-year-old could have his likeness featured on an 8.4-ounce can of Red Bull, his seat in Formula 1 is already becoming available.

      During the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, the New Zealander sought to improve his performance after a disappointing debut in Melbourne the previous week, where he did not make it past the first round of qualifying and was one of six drivers to retire during the race.

      In Shanghai, navigating the tricky dynamics of the No. 30 Red Bull proved equally challenging. He exited Q1 in both qualifying sessions, finished 14th in the Sprint, started from the pit lane, and concluded the feature race without scoring points, despite three disqualifications affecting the final results. The situation worsened as rumors began circulating about Racing Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda potentially taking Lawson's spot in the next race. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner labeled the speculation about a driver change as “speculative,” acknowledging Lawson’s evident potential but lamenting the lack of realization of that potential at this time.

      Being second to Max Verstappen is F1's most unforgiving role. It's a coveted position for many drivers: a seat at a championship-winning team known for pursuing excellence; a seat with a team that values skill over age and isn’t bound by legacy.

      However, such high-stakes energy comes hand in hand with a ruthless environment and a constant driver turnover.

      Initially, it was 23-year-old Pierre Gasly stepping into Daniel Ricciardo’s seat before being relegated back to Toro Rosso midway through the 2019 season. Next was Alex Albon, who finished in the top six in eight out of nine races. As the performance gap widened between Albon and the team’s rising star, he was replaced the following season by Sergio “Checo” Pérez. Pérez managed to stay longer and was more competitive with Verstappen than most, but his declining performance in 2024 sparked ongoing uncertainty about his future with the team.

      Now, Lawson finds himself confronting the same challenge faced by many before him: taming the beast.

      Though Lawson's two races for Red Bull in March have him sitting 17th in the driver standings, his brief mid-season appearances have yielded some success. He finished in the points in one of five races for AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) while substituting for an injured Ricciardo in 2023, garnering four points across six races in the following season. Nevertheless, he consistently fell short against his teammate Tsunoda in both qualifying and race performance.

      It's not solely Lawson but rather the car that lies at the heart of the issues.

      It's critical to recognize that Red Bull, like its sharp brand image, has a vehicle that is challenging to handle. While the finely-tuned design suits Verstappen's fast driving style, it makes it nearly impossible for others to catch up with the team’s leading driver. Albon likened the car's handling to playing a video game with the sensitivity settings maxed out. “You move that mouse, and it’s just darting across the screen everywhere,” recounted the now-Williams driver in a podcast. “It becomes so sharp that it makes you a little bit tense,” he said, describing it as “eye-wateringly sharp.”

      Former Red Bull drivers have often complained about the car's sensitivity, which has been heightened at Verstappen's request. However, with Verstappen securing a 30-second lead over the competition in 2023, the idea of discarding a design that kept the team in championship contention was easily dismissed. In 2023, Verstappen accumulated over a third of his teammate’s total career points and achieved nearly triple the points of Pérez in 2024. Red Bull clinched the World Constructors' Championship for two consecutive years, with Verstappen’s 575 points in 2023 earning the constructors' trophy without any support from a teammate.

      The energy drink giant, which shook up the paddock upon its entry into the sport in 2005, has set numerous records in the meticulously logged history of F1, largely due to Verstappen. Yet, since the beginning of 2024, the team seems to be on the verge of a crisis, with significant turmoil off the track—including allegations of sexual misconduct against Horner and numerous staff departures, including celebrated designer Adrian Newey—which brings attention to the precarious position of Red Bull.

      Horner maintained over the race weekend that the team does not build cars around one specific driver, but as McLaren started strong by winning the first two races of the 2025 season, the importance of having a well-performing second seat at Red Bull raises questions. When will the team reconsider its direction to address this need?

      Whether Tsunoda swaps his often faster Racing Bull for a navy