FOUR-TIME F1 World Champion Max Verstappen has stuck up for his former Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson as the Kiwi was cruelly dropped after just two races.
Lawson, 23, was promoted to Red Bull’s first team after impressing with b-team Racing Bulls in the latter half of last season, recording four points in six races after replacing Daniel Ricciardo.
The Kiwi put on a brave face as he donned Racing Bulls colours ahead of the Japanese Grand PrixReuters
Lawson (left) struggled to match Verstappen in his short Red Bull careerPA
Lawson struggled to get to grips with the Red Bull car, crashing out of the Australian Grand Prix on his debut with the team.Getty
He was not given much of a chance to impress at Red Bull, though, with team leadership sending him back to Racing Bulls after just two Grands Prix and opting instead for Yuki Tsunoda.
Verstappen, though, has leapt to Lawson’s defence, liking an Instagram post by former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde which called Red Bull’s decision “close to bullying.”
Van der Garde wrote: “You gotta perform [in F1]… but in my opinion this comes closer to bullying. [Red Bull] gave Liam two races only to crush his spirit.”
Verstappen clarified his opinion on the situation ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
He said: “I liked the comment, the text, so I guess that speaks for itself, right?”
He would offer little further detail, going on to say: “Everything has been shared with the team, how I think about everything.
“Sometimes it’s not necessary, you know, to always share and say everything in public.”
While Lawson was slow off the mark, Red Bull have faced widespread criticism for dropping him as fans, drivers, and pundits say he should have been given more time to adapt to the car.
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He has been part of Red Bull’s driver academy since 2019 and has admitted that he was “surprised” by the demotion, adding that he is prepared to prove his worth with Racing Bulls.
He said: “Obviously its very early in the season… It’s been a strong start to the season [for VCARB] so I guess it’s exciting for me to now come here in this position.”
Lawson failed to finish at the season opener in Australia after finding himself stuck on dry tires in damp conditions, subsequently crashing out after completing 47 of the 58 prescribed laps.
Difficulties continued in China as he qualified dead last for both the Sprint Race and Grand Prix, finishing 12th on Sunday.
Those two races were just the twelfth and thirteenth starts of Lawson’s F1 career.
Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda will make his debut with Red Bull at his home raceGetty
British seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, the winningest F1 driver of all time, called the decision “pretty harsh.”
Verstappen’s teammates are considered to have one of the most difficult jobs in sport, with talented drivers in Riccardo, Pierre Gasly, and Sergio Perez all failing to match him.
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