Red Bull relying on ‘stack of data’ to evaluate Lawson’s future

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says the Milton Keynes-based outfit has taken away from this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix a “stack of data” to evaluate the performance – and likely the fate – of its beleaguered driver Liam Lawson.

The Kiwi’s dismal first two races with Red Bull’s senior outfit could lead to a swift exit, with rumors swirling that Lawson may be demoted to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls as soon as the Japanese Grand Prix — making way for Yuki Tsunoda to take the hot seat.

Horner has made no mention of such a scenario unfolding, but as Lawson’s crisis deepens, Red Bull may be forced to reconsider their lineup to salvage performance and maintain competitiveness in the Constructors’ battle.

Crunching the Numbers

“I think Liam's had a tough couple of races, a tough weekend here,” Horner said after the Chinese Grand Prix, which the Kiwi finished 15th on the road after starting from the pitlane.

“We elected to take him off the grid out of parc ferme to do a significant set-up change and so we've managed to get 56 laps of reasonable data from that.

“Obviously we'll take that away, we'll have a good look at it and as a group we'll do our best to support him.

“We'll just continue to evaluate it. We'll take away a stack of data to go and have a look at. That's what we'll do.

"Obviously, there's 400 engineers in our team that are all trawling through the 600 sensors that are on the car. There's an awful lot of information that we have.

“Look, I think there's so much info, how he's adapted driving the car, what he's getting from the car, what can we do to help, where are his major issues, what's causing inconsistency, all of those issues.”

Horner Cautious Amid Speculation

While Horner declined to comment on speculation linking Tsunoda with a move to Red Bull ahead of his home race in Japan in two weeks, the Red Bull chief did not dismiss the possibility of a switch.

“There's always going to be speculation in the paddock. As I say, we've only just finished the race here. We'll take away the info and have a good look at it,” he said.

“There's nothing specific that's been set up. Look, I think everything is purely speculative at the moment. I think Liam still has got potential. We're just not realising that at the moment.

• Read also: Red Bull threaten Lawson-Tsunoda swap for Japanese GP!

“I'm not even going to comment on a change, because that would be your first headline. As I say, we're two races into this championship. We have a sample of two.

“We have quite a bit of information. We're going to go away and have a good look at it, and work with Liam and do the best that we can for him.

“I think the problem for him is he's had a couple of really tough weekends. He's got all the media on his back, a whole bunch.

“The pressure just naturally grows in this business, and I feel very sorry for him. You can see it's very tough on him at the moment.

“I think he's a young guy. We've got a duty to look after him and we're going to do the best that we can to support him. And, yes, Liam's still a very capable driver. We know that.

“We're just not seeing it for whatever reason. We're not seeing him able to deliver that at the moment.”

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