It’s been another week in the headlines for Red Bull and it’s driver line-up, and they’re not positive headlines at all.
Yuki Tsunoda will finally get to race for Red Bull after 89 race starts for the junior team, fulfilling a role he arguably should have held since the start of the season.
As for Liam Lawson, his troubled spell at the top team is over after just two races. At least he’s offered the reprieve of a place back at Racing Bulls.
Lawson failed to make it out of Q1 in either of his races at Red Bull, and also failed to score a point.
So what can we make of this debacle and early plot twist in the driver market.
Our motorsport editor Callum Davis has his say.
Heads Should Roll, But Only Eyes Will
This is the third time that Red Bull have dropped a driver mid-season in the last ten years. Lawson follows Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly out the door whilst the flight is only just taking off.
The ambiguity in the public domain about who makes these decisions about driver line-ups at Red Bull makes pointing the blame at someone difficult.
Let’s start with who we’ve heard from since the decision was announced.
Team Principal Christian Horner said “It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and as a result we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch.”
“We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car. We welcome him to the Team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21.”
As expected from Red Bull, it is a very polished press release and, of course, they will be hopeful that Tsunoda can perform better than Lawson did.
The worrying part of the statemen comes in the third and final paragraph.
“We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience, as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a Team he knows very well,” said Horner.
If Horner knows Lawson needs to “gain experience,” why didn’t he need to do that at the end of last season and continue in the Racing Bulls team in the first place.
Since being moved back to the sister team, Lawson has posted on Instagram.
“Being a Red Bull driver has been my dream since I was a kid, it’s what I’ve worked towards my whole life. It’s tough, but I’m grateful for everything that’s brought me to this point. To every one of you who’s stood by me, thank you for all the support it means the world,” said Lawson.
It’s the words of a driver who just feels happy to be back in a positive environment and away from the pressure of Red Bull.
Marko Polo
The person who’s head should really be rolling today is Helmut Marko.
When you’re being described as “living, breathing proof that you don’t need any discernible talent to keep a job that you’re badly out of your depth in,” it’s probably not going great for you.
For some reason Dr Helmut Marko’s position at that team is nearly that of a messiah, due to the coup of Max Verstappen.
Unfortunately for Marko, not everyone is Max Verstappen.
Take Lando Norris for example. It’s taken the Brit well over 100 races for him to be considered a title threat. The adaption period to F1 should be measured in years, not days.
Whilst the inner workings of the team are not known, what is fact is the Marko plays a key role and his decision making and judgement has long been considered irrational, if not completely wrong.
The mess at Red Bull will now take years to repair, not just one driver swap can repair a broken machine.