Liam Lawson's future at Red Bull already in jeopardy: Reports

Liam Lawson's future at Red Bull could already be in jeopardy after a disappointing showing in Australia last week, followed by another poor start to the weekend in China. Reports suggest that the Kiwi driver could be out of his seat as early as after Japan if he fails to impress by the third race of the season.

Lawson had the worst imaginable start to life at Red Bull as he was knocked out in Q1 in Australia and subsequently could not finish the race on the Sunday. He has carried on in similar fashion in China this weekend, having finished last in both the Sprint Qualifying and the Main Qualifying.

The Race have reported that while Lawson may not be dropped immediately if he has a poor race in Shanghai on Sunday, there is a chance that the Austrian team could make a change if his struggles continue on into the round 2 in Suzuka, which is scheduled to be held on April 6.

Red Bull are reportedly 'baffled' by the start the 23-year-old has made and cannot pinpoint an obvious reason for his struggles so far. However, the team have publicly backed Lawson and have not suggested that they are looking to make a change yet.

Team boss Christian Horner shrugged off Lawson's poor Saturday as a 'poor day at the office' and mentioned the team's desire to provide him with a competitive car for Sunday.

The obvious candidate to replace the rookie from New Zealand would be fellow Red Bull junior driver Yuki Tsunoda, who was also in the running for the senior seat after Sergio Perez was let go at the end of the last season. Tsunoda had a brilliant outing in Australia, which was only ruined by a poor strategy call by the RB team. The Japanese driver has also put in another strong performance in the Chinese GP Sprint, finishing sixth, followed by a ninth place in the main race qualifying.

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Liam Lawson reflected on his struggles with the Red Bull after Chinese GP Qualifying

Liam Lawson before the main qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Liam Lawson reflected on his poor outing during the Chinese Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday, sharing how he feels frustrated about the whole situation. He also shared that he feels the window to get the RB 21 going is a very narrow one, and that means he is making a lot of mistakes out on track in trying to push the car to the limit.

Speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying, the Kiwi shared what he thinks needs to change in order for him to perform better, saying:

"It’s just time. Unfortunately, I don’t really have time but it’s just one of those things. To drive a Formula 1 car, it takes 100% confidence in what you’re doing." [via Formula1.com]

"It’s not that I don’t feel confident, the window is just so small and it’s that I need to get a handle on. I don’t know how else to put it really, it’s just not good enough." he added.

If reports are to be believed, it seems that Lawson will have turn around his form as early as the Japan GP to give himself a chance of even staying in the Red Bull seat. For now though, it remains to be seen how the 23-year-old manages to salvage his race in China on Sunday, after starting last on the grid.