With the Formula One Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying completed in Shanghai, patterns are developing for both the teams and the drivers. Max Verstappen is clearly maximising what is a difficult car to drive and the Red Bull sister team have been a revelation.

Yuki Tsunoda qualified in the top ten for the Sprint and finished the short form race in sixth place. Come Grand Prix qualifying, both Racing Bulls were in the pole position shootout, with rookie Isaac Hadjar finishing in P7 and his Japanese team mate in P9.

Max Verstappen was asked whether he was surprised by the pace of the Racing Bulls. His response was coded: “They’re doing very well, they’re very close to me. Maybe that also says something,” he smiled suggesting the VCARB 02 is stronger than even the RB21.

 

 

 

Chandhok calls for more time

With Tsunoda now having qualified in the top ten at both the seasons opening Grand Prix, the questions in the paddock are already being asked as to when he’ll get his chance alongside Verstappen, with Liam Lawson starting the Chinese GP plumb last again after another shocking qualifying performance.

Ex-Aston Martin strategy engineer Bernie Collins noted to Sky F1:“When you’ve got both Racing Bulls out qualifying the second Red Bull then you’ve got to look at the situation. Now look its only race two, so lets not be too hard on Liam – but how many races before they have a check to look at what the position is because we know that RB on pace is not faster than the Red Bull.

“If the RB’s continuously out qualify him [Lawson] there’s something going wrong somewhere,” Collins concluded.

When asked how long Lawson has before he may be replaced, Ex-F1 driver, Karun Chandhok, was frank. “I think you’ve got to give him at least half a dozen races. Clearly is not an easy car to drive and if you drop Yuki or Isaac into it you have to give them half a dozen races before you judge them. It would be unfair to judge anyone before that.”

Seismic U-Turn: F1 considers ditching new engines

 

 

 

Horner refuses to answer the Lawson question

That said Chandhok noted there was a “natural break point” ahead at the conclusion of the first five flyaway races of the year before the F1 circus returns to Europe. “I imagine that will be a natural point where there’s some form of conversation,” Chandhok concluded.

Christian Horner was pressed hard over the lack of performance from his new Red Bull driver by Sky’s Ted Kravitz who asked the Red Bull team boss, “do we have a Liam problem here?”

Christian Horner paused for thought before giving a non-answer, “I mean its been a tough day at the office for him today, so we’ll have a good look at it and go through it to try and give him the best car we can for tomorrow.”

But Kravitz was persistent and direct referencing the sacking of Sergio Perez (Checo). “You need him [Lawson] to score constructors’ points,” added the veteran F1 pit lane reporter. “You didn’t pay off Checo for this did you? I mean the [point was to replace Checo with a quicker driver. Is he just not a quicker driver?”

Gasly allegation

 

 

 

Red Bull damned either way

Again Horner was cautious with his reply before excusing himself. “As I said we’l have a good look at it and we’ll do what we can tomorrow.”

To coin several cliches, Red Bull are seeing the chickens come home to roost, following their surprise decision to promote Lawson of eleven Grand Prix ahead of Yuki Tsunoda with four full seasons of F1 racing. The team from Milton Keynes have made their bed and they must lie in it for a while as Karun Chandhok observes.

On the other hand to continue doing the same thing and expect a different result is a counter argument for retaining Lawson alongside Max Verstappen. Red Bull have a reputation for having two faces. The first is for their ‘gold standard’ young driver programme as Chandhok described it but on the other hand they have burned a number of their proteges.

Having burned through Daniil Kvyat, Pierre gaily and Alex Albon in just a couple of years, Red Bull found themselves with no proper pipeline of drivers remaining and so tired to the experience of Sergio Perez.

George Russell is “demotivating the entire Mercedes team”

 

 

 

Perez record not so bad

Most people forgot that on the whole Checo was a success alongside the best driver in the world, finishing his first three seasons P4, P3 and P2 in the drivers’ title race. The Mexican driver won five Grand Prix in his four years with Red Bull including the notoriously difficult Monaco GP, along with Singapore, Azerbaijan (x2) and the along the corniche at Jeddah.

Yet come the 2024 evolution of the Red Bull ground effect car, the wheels came off for Perez after the first five races of the year. From China to the end of the season he scored less points than in the first five rounds and missed out in Quali 1 on no less than six occasions.

Should Lawson fail to recover the promise he showed as a stand in for Daniel Ricciardo in 2023, at least Red Bull have Yuki Tsunoda waiting in the wings with his 88 Grand Prix starts. Much will depend on how the season develops for Red Bull racing over the next three race weekends. If Verstappen is struggling to stay in the top five, ironically the pressure on Lawson will diminish.

Yet if Verstappen remains in hot pursuit of the championship come the first European round in Emilia-Romagne, Red Bull will surely feel his wingman should be delivering at least as well as Perez had done.

Williams in trouble

 

 

 

Marko grim over Lawson’s future

Having completed three consecutive shocking qualifying performances, Dr. Helmut Marko was asked for his thoughts on Lawson’s future at Red Bull. “F1 is a competitive sport,” he ominously told Sky Germany.

It appears there is some kind of time limit for the New Zealand driver as Marko concluded, “Let’s wait for the first three races, which are all on very different tracks, and then we’ll get a more meaningful picture,” added the Red Bull consultant.

The new Red Bull driver knows himself time is short when asked to explain the issues he was facing, Lawson was blunt in his assessment. “I think it’s just time. Unfortunately, I don’t really have time. To drive an F1 car takes 100 per cent confidence in what you’re doing.

“It’s not that I don’t feel confident but the window is so small that I just seem to miss it and it’s that I need to get a handle of. I don’t know how else to put it. It’s just not good enough,” concluded Liam.

If Dr. Marko is to be believed, Lawson has tomorrow’s race in Shanghai and another weekend in two weeks time in Japan, before the Red Bull hierarchy seriously consider his position.

Team boss claims ‘Verstappen leaves at the end of the year’

 

 

 

 

Frustrated Hamilton makes stark admission about Ferrari

Hamilton frustrated after tough Chinese GP qualifying despite sprint win – Lewis Hamilton’s second race weekend with Ferrari brought a mixture of celebration and disappointment as Formula One returned to the Shanghai International Circuit for the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. After a commanding performance in the sprint race, where he led from lights out to the chequered flag, the seven-time world champion was unable to maintain that form in Saturday’s qualifying session.

Hamilton ultimately qualified fifth for Sunday’s Grand Prix and admitted that his Ferrari was “really hard to drive”, raising concerns about the car’s setup and overall balance…. READ MORE