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Liam Lawson’s Struggles at Red Bull Raise Questions About Team’s Driver Dynamics
The old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” has never been more apt than in the case of Liam Lawson’s struggles at Red Bull. Having replaced Daniel Ricciardo towards the end of the 2024 season, Lawson earned a promotion to Red Bull to partner Max Verstappen for the 2025 season. However, his time at the team has been nothing short of disastrous.
Lawson’s inability to get to grips with the RB21’s small operating window and design, which seems to be tailored to Verstappen’s driving style, has resulted in a string of disappointing performances. The Kiwi racer has somehow managed to bring even more catastrophic results than his predecessor, Sergio Perez, who had a tumultuous 2024 season.
To put Lawson’s struggles into perspective, he currently sits at the bottom of the drivers’ standings on zero points, with only two rookies in Jack Doohan and Gabriel Bortoleto, driving in far inferior cars, keeping him off the very bottom of the championship table. Meanwhile, Verstappen is second in the championship on 36 points, highlighting the gulf in performance between the two Red Bull drivers.
Lawson’s credibility as a racing driver is not the only issue at play here. His struggles have also raised questions about the team’s driver dynamics and whether they made a mistake in promoting him to the senior team. The rumors swirling around a potential driver swap involving Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson, in time for the Japanese Grand Prix, only serve to fuel speculation about Lawson’s future at the team.
One potential solution to Red Bull’s driver crisis could be a return to an old face – Daniel Ricciardo. Although Ricciardo’s departure from Red Bull in 2018 was acrimonious, he remains a popular figure in the paddock, and his experience and skills could be just what the team needs to stabilize their driver lineup.
Ricciardo’s time at Red Bull was marked by a strong partnership with Verstappen, and the two drivers enjoyed a good relationship. Red Bull knows exactly what type of driver they are working with in Ricciardo, and the learning process would be quickly skipped. Furthermore, welcoming back Ricciardo into the fold would do wonders for Red Bull’s image in an already tricky situation.
While it is unclear whether Ricciardo would even be interested in returning to F1, let alone Red Bull, the team would be foolish not to at least consider a move for the Australian. With Lawson’s struggles showing no signs of abating, Red Bull needs to think outside the box and explore all available options to fix their seemingly never-ending No. 2 driver crisis.
Christian Horner or Helmut Marko will need to swallow their pride and pick up the phone to arrange a meeting with Ricciardo. Persuading him to return to the team will not be an easy task, but it could be the key to unlocking Red Bull’s true potential and ending their driver crisis once and for all.
