Liam Lawson candidly admits that he did not see his demotion to the Red Bull subsidiary team, Racing Bulls, coming. The New Zealander did not get the impression from the team’s leadership that a driver swap was imminent. Lawson would have liked more time, and on circuits he was familiar with, to prove himself as a Red Bull driver.
While Yuki Tsunoda is looking forward to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend and his debut with Red Bull, Liam Lawson has less reason to celebrate. The New Zealander underperformed during his first two race weekends of the season, failing to advance beyond Q1 in the qualifiers. Yet, Lawson did not anticipate his driver swap with Tsunoda.
“It was definitely a shock, to be honest,” the now again Racing Bulls driver tells Sky Sports. “I didn’t see it coming. The conversations we had around that time, they didn’t seem to be heading in that direction (that he had to make way for Tsunoda).”
‘Would Have Liked More Time’
Although Lawson did not score any points during the two opening races, he finds it frustrating that he was given so little time in the RB21. “Of course, I would have liked to have had more time. It was a tough start as we were racing in places where I had never raced before,” the New Zealander continues. “It was a difficult first weekend in Melbourne, and China was of course a sprint weekend. If we had gone to places where I had raced before, that would certainly have helped with how difficult the car was. I would have liked that opportunity.”
