Lawson's confidence crisis deepens: 'I don't really have time'
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Liam Lawson is finding himself at the center of an intensifying storm as mounting pressure builds at Red Bull Racing following a succession of disappointing performances in Shanghai.
A 14th-place finish in Saturday's sprint event after starting last was grim enough, but his Q1 exit in qualifying – locking in another P20 start for Sunday's race – has sounded alarm bells.
With teammate Max Verstappen voicing worries about Red Bull's slipping pace, Lawson's inability to deliver is magnifying the pressure, and his own words betray a driver scrambling to find his footing.
Sprint Stumble Sets a Dire Tone
Lawson's Saturday kicked off with a thud. After starting the day's sprint last after a mediocre performance in Sprint Qualifying, he clawed his way to 14th in the 19-lap dash.
It was a modest gain, but far from the statement Red Bull needed from their second driver.
Meanwhile, Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda, the man Lawson edged out for this seat, banked three points with a sixth-place sprint finish, casting an even longer shadow over the Kiwi's efforts.
Qualifying Collapse Amplifies the Crisis
Qualifying was where Lawson's struggles hit a breaking point. Eliminated in Q1, he sealed a back-row start on Sunday's grid, a far cry from Verstappen's fourth.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Lawson didn't sugarcoat it.
"It's just really tough, honestly. I think the window's really small, I mean that's known, but honestly, it's not an excuse," he said.
Traffic had marred his session, but he refused to lean on it as a crutch.
"I've got to get a handle on it. It was a messy session and had we not dealt with traffic and stuff like that, it might have been OK, but to be honest, it's still not good enough to be having those issues.
"And that's the reason that we get knocked out, we should be fast enough on our first lap. We should be. It shouldn't be an issue, so I just need to get on top of it."
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Lawson's damning self-assessment lays bare the gap between expectation and execution. Red Bull's machinery, even if off the pace of McLaren and Ferrari, shouldn't be languishing in Q1.
The young gun's failure to nail a clean lap when it mattered most isn't just a missed opportunity – it's a red flag for a team banking on both drivers to stem their slide.
Time Running Out for Confidence
Pressed on what he needs to turn things around, Lawson's response was equal parts candid and alarming.
"I think it's just time," he said. "Unfortunately I don't really have time, but it's just one of those things.
"I mean to drive a Formula 1 car, it takes 100% confidence in what you're doing and it's not that I don't feel confident, but the window's so small that right now I just seem to miss it.
"It's that that I just need to get a handle on. So yeah, I don't know how else to put it really, it's just not good enough."
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Lawson knows the F1 clock ticks mercilessly – every session, every lap is a chance to prove that he belongs on the grid.
His debut in Australia last week ended in a wet-weather crash after starting 18th, while Tsunoda's fifth-to-12th run underscored the opportunity Lawson inherited and squandered.
Now, two races in, he's still grasping for the "100% confidence" he admits is eluding him. That "small window" he keeps missing? It's the razor-thin margin between competence and collapse in F1, and he's on the wrong side of it.
Sunday's race offers little reprieve – starting last on a tyre-hungry track, he's staring at another uphill battle.
Lawson's candour reveals a driver aware of the guillotine hovering overhead. Time, he says, is what he needs—but in F1's brutal arena, it's a luxury Red Bull may not afford him much longer.
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