Ex-Red Bull racer Vitantonio Liuzzi believes there is a “good possibility” of Liam Lawson rebuilding his F1 career with Racing Bulls, despite the disappointment and frustration he will feel about being dropped by the senior team.
Lawson has lost his spot in Red Bull Racing’s line-up after just two race weekends – the 23-year-old New Zealander struggling to get up to speed while reigning four-time World Champion team mate Max Verstappen fought at the front of the field.
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Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda will take over the seat alongside Verstappen from the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, with Lawson – who has contested 13 Grands Prix in the top echelon – going back to the sister outfit he previously represented.
Lawson will go back to Racing Bulls from the third round of the season at Suzuka
Lawson’s run at Red Bull is the shortest in the team’s history, one Grand Prix fewer than Robert Doornbos at the tail-end of 2006, and two fewer than Liuzzi, who raced for the Milton Keynes-based operation during their debut 2005 campaign.
As the swap takes place, Liuzzi shared some first-hand insight into what is likely to be going through Lawson’s head, and tipped him to follow in the footsteps of Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, who both recovered from their own Red Bull episodes.
“It’s definitely not an easy time for a driver like him, especially with not so much experience,” Liuzzi told F1.com. “He needs to put his head back together and show that he has the skill to stay in F1.
“It’s about keeping that experience at Red Bull like a little nightmare, because it was basically a few months, and then rebuilding his position as an F1 driver, which he can do at Racing Bulls.
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“You need to be strong mentally, to not drop [away] totally, because I know it’s easy to fall into psychological difficulties – so, just enjoy it and give the maximum.
“It’s a good possibility for Liam to stabilise himself, and he might even have another chance [at Red Bull] in the future – if he shows that he deserves a seat in F1.”
Liuzzi, who spent two seasons at Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) after his Red Bull seat was taken, and later embarked on stints with Force India and Hispania/HRT, also discussed the timing of the driver swap and what Tsunoda can bring to the table.
It comes amid comments from Red Bull boss Christian Horner that the squad “have to have two cars scoring” if they are to hold any hopes of challenging for this year’s Teams’ Championship – back-to-back Grand Prix winners McLaren already sitting 42 points ahead.
Tsunoda now gets a chance to show what he can do in Red Bull Racing machinery
“At the moment, they really need a second driver to bring in some points for the team, because obviously they don’t have any more the superiority [of 2022, 2023 and early 2024] – when they were so far ahead of the others that they could win easily,” he commented.
“If Red Bull want to fight for the championship, they cannot lose any time, so when there were no signs of a reaction from Liam at the second race, that’s why I think they took this decision [so quickly].
“With Yuki, they also saw in the test [after last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix] that he was doing pretty well. So, I think with him, Red Bull believe they can reduce the issue [and the gap to Verstappen].
“For sure, it’s never going to be easy for any team mate beside a driver like Max, but Yuki’s got some more experience in F1, so they’re trying this other solution. It’s a delicate moment, but it should be easier for him to make it work at Red Bull.”
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