Max Verstappen shares wild theory about Liam Lawson

Max Verstappen has shared a wild theory about Liam Lawson where he's claimed that his Red Bull teammate would go faster in a Racing Bull car compared to the RB21. The young driver has had a torrid start to life with the Austrian team.

In the Australian Grand Prix, Lawson qualified 18th, while teammate Max Verstappen secured 3rd. Lawson's race ended with a crash, whereas Verstappen finished 2nd.

In China, the performance was worse. Verstappen consistently qualified within the top two rows, while Lawson qualified 20th in both qualifying sessions. This disparity is notable given that Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister team, had both drivers qualify within the top 10.

Out of the two, Lawson has raced against Yuki Tsunoda. Both the Kiwi and Japanese drivers were more or less neck and neck last season as well. The fact that Tsunoda qualifies in the top 10 while Liam Lawson is not even in Q2 is thus intriguing.

Talking to De Telegraph, Max Verstappen said that he felt that Liam Lawson would go faster in a Racing Bull car compared to a Red Bull car because the working range is much higher and the car is easier to drive. He said,

“If you look at the difference between the two drivers at the other teams, they are all closer together. It also shows that our car is extremely tough. I think if you put Liam in the Racing Bulls car, he will go faster. I really think so."

He added,

“That car is easier to drive than ours. I also notice that when I talk to Liam. Last year, I didn’t think the difference between him and Yuki Tsunoda was that big. Otherwise the team wouldn’t make the choice to put him in at Red Bull either.”

Villeneuve on Max Verstappen's teammate Liam Lawson wilting under pressure

Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve weighed in on the situation Liam Lawson finds himself in, as the Canadian said that the Kiwi could lose favor from Helmut Marko very soon. According to the 1997 champion, if the Kiwi doesn't show improvement and close the gap to Max Verstappen, he could potentially lose his seat at Red Bull. Villeneuve told F1TV,

"I mean, it’s worse than Perez right now, and this car needs to evolve, needs to improve, and you cannot do it alone. That provided an opportunity to reflect on the cutthroat nature of Red Bull Racing as an organization."

He added,

“It’s also not the right team to have a bad weekend in, because Helmut Marko doesn’t like it. He really pounds on his drivers. He wants them to be strong mentally, and if you don’t cut it, he chops you. “They know that. It’s a tough space to be in. “In another team, he would be protected better.”

With two poor qualifying sessions, it is being reported that Liam Lawson's seat is already under threat. Unless the driver closes the gap to Max Verstappen at Red Bull, he could lose his place within the team.