Liam Lawson’s first dance with Red Bull Racing at the Australian Grand Prix hit a sour note on Friday, as the Kiwi rookie limped to 17th in FP2 – over half a second adrift of teammate Max Verstappen on the same soft tyres.
The Albert Park practice sessions laid bare a stark gap between the four-time champ and his new sidekick, with Lawson clocking 16th in a crash-interrupted FP1 while Verstappen took fifth, a hefty seven-tenths ahead.
Both Red Bull drivers grappled with an RB21 that refused to wake up, its new floor upgrade failing to spark grip in the first and final sectors.
A candid Lawson summed things up, speaking to Sky Sports F1: “Comfortable, just too slow. We obviously have a lot of work to do overnight.”
For a debutant dreaming of keeping pace with Verstappen, it was a sobering start.
Horner’s Shield for Lawson
Red Bull’s team boss Christian Horner didn’t hesitate to throw a protective arm around his young charge, brushing off the Kiwi’s struggles as a natural part of the steep climb to partnering Verstappen.
“Liam, it’s a big step up,” Horner said. “Being Max’s team-mate is probably the toughest job in Formula 1. But he’s got the mental aptitude and strength of character to deal with that.”
He pointed to Lawson’s lack of track time at Melbourne – unlike Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who leveraged his F2 experience at Albert Park to snag sixth in FP2 – as a key hurdle.
“He’s not been here before, I think he’s the only driver on the grid that hasn’t done some laps around this circuit,” added Horner.
“But he’s finding his feet and giving some very good feedback, he’s settling in nicely. We’ll see over the next few races.”
Horner’s words painted a picture of patience, betting on Lawson’s grit to shine through.
Grip Eludes, Answers Don’t Come
The clear reason behind Lawson’s sluggish pace isn’t crystal clear, which is problematic in itself.
Verstappen described a car that lacked balance but that displayed no major issue, just lethargic grip. And Lawson echoed the Dutchman’s frustration.
“I think if we knew that we’d know how to fix it as well,” he assured.
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With Verstappen’s quali sims hampered by traffic – potentially masking an even wider chasm – the team faces a late-night puzzle.
For Lawson, it’s a baptism by fire, but Horner’s backing signals faith that this rookie’s tale has chapters yet to unfold.
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