Horner defends Lawson after Melbourne opening bust
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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has defended Liam Lawson following the latter's challenging debut with the Milton Keynes-based outfit at the Australian Grand Prix.
Despite a tough weekend that concluded with Lawson crashing out of last Sunday's race with 12 laps remaining, Horner argued that the circumstances surrounding the Kiwi's performance make it hard to pin the blame squarely on his shoulders.
Horner also highlighted flashes of potential from the 22-year-old, expressing confidence in his resilience and ability to bounce back.
Lawson's troubles began early in the weekend. A slow start on Friday was compounded by an apparent power unit issue in final practice, severely limiting his track time.
This lack of preparation set the stage for a high-pressure qualifying session, where Lawson faltered, posting the 18th-best time and exiting in Q1.
"The problem is, having missed P3, you're on the back foot and then the pressure builds," Horner explained.
"He grabbed the brake on the second set of tyres, and then the third set of tyres, he was half a second up and then another mistake there."
With little to lose after such a disappointing qualifying, Red Bull opted for an aggressive strategy, tweaking Lawson's car setup by changing the rear wing for added downforce – a move that forced him to start from the pit lane.
"We changed the car to put a bit more downforce on the car," Horner noted, acknowledging the team's calculated risk to salvage something from the weekend.
Strategy Gamble Goes Wrong
Despite starting from the pit lane, Lawson's fortunes seemed to improve when the unpredictable weather created a window for a strategy gamble.
Running on slick tyres as rain began to fall, Lawson climbed well into the top 10, briefly running as high as seventh and ahead of eventual podium finisher George Russell. However, the gamble ultimately backfired as the rainfall intensified, leading to a costly mistake.
"It's a very hard track to overtake at, we took a risk of leaving him out because he was outside of the points and we thought, 'You know what? Roll the dice. Maybe it'll come right,'" Horner said.
"But at exactly the point that it started to rain more, so it's difficult to blame him for that last spin."
Lawson echoed his team boss's sentiments, acknowledging the shared responsibility for the decision.
"We're on the same page. We wanted to take a risk, so we shared that gamble together," he said.
The risk ultimately led to Lawson skidding into the tyre barrier at Turn 2 on lap 46 of 57, ending his race prematurely.
Measured Optimism Amid a Tough Weekend
Despite the crash and the weekend's litany of challenges, Horner refused to write off Lawson's debut as a total loss.
"It was a difficult weekend for him," he conceded, but he also pointed to a silver lining. "The one flash of light that he can take out of it is that, on the dry tyres, he actually posted the second fastest lap time of the grand prix; a 22.9 versus Max's 23.0, Lando 22.1."
"If there was one positive we can take that his pace actually on the drivers was not too bad," Horner added.
The team boss also praised Lawson's mental fortitude in the face of adversity.
"He's pretty resilient," Horner said. "[Melbourne] wasn't representative of what he's capable of."
This vote of confidence comes despite a fierce social media backlash, with fans questioning Lawson's promotion over Yuki Tsunoda and the decision to replace Sergio Perez.
Yet Horner's words signal a belief that Lawson's story with Red Bull is far from over.
Lawson Looks Ahead to China
For his part, Lawson was candid about the weekend's lack of positives.
"Not much," he replied when asked what he could salvage from the experience. "Honestly, I'm just looking forward to going to China and resetting."
This week's event, a Sprint weekend at the unfamiliar Shanghai International Circuit, looms as both a challenge and an opportunity. With just one hour of practice before the action begins, Lawson will need to adapt quickly.
"It's something that I've been through plenty of times before and in my career," he said of the need to rebound. "Fortunately, we have just a few days off. China's a Sprint weekend, so it's going to be tough in itself, but I'm just excited to go into another weekend."
Horner's measured defense and Lawson's determination paint a picture of a debut that, while unrepresentative and bruising, is not the final word on the young driver's potential.
As Red Bull and their rookie prepare for the next chapter, the focus shifts to China – where Lawson will aim to prove that Melbourne was merely a stumble, not a fall.
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