Source: Official Team Post via X
Liam Lawson Plays Down Horner's Criticism of Red Bull Promotion
Liam Lawson has chosen not to engage with Christian Horner's critique in his autobiography, which suggests Lawson was promoted too early to Red Bull. Lawson's brief stint with the team in 2025 ended after just two races.
Liam Lawson seems unruffled by Christian Horner's comments in his autobiography, 'Drive', suggesting that Lawson's promotion to Red Bull in 2025 was premature. Despite having only 11 Grands Prix under his belt across two seasons, Lawson was elevated to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen for the 2025 season.
His venture with Red Bull was a short-lived affair, lasting only two Grands Prix. Lawson didn't make it past Q1 and failed to score any points, leading then-Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to comment that Lawson should have been protected and developed further before taking on such a challenging role. Horner, reflecting on the decision, admitted to feeling uneasy about the promotion, which was supported by Helmut Marko.
"Liam was another racer from the junior programme and Helmut had championed the promotion, but I felt uncomfortable," Horner wrote. "He was young and inexperienced, with only eleven Formula 1 races to his name, and we would be asking a huge amount from him... His confidence was smashed, and his arrival at Red Bull had come too soon."
Horner also noted that Lawson struggled with the RB21's tricky handling and that the pressure was too much, leading to his demotion back to Racing Bulls. On being asked about these remarks during the United States Grand Prix media day, Lawson was unfazed, noting he hadn't read the book and dismissing the issue as something from the past.
The autobiography also stirred the pot by revealing that George Russell and Lando Norris had used Red Bull's simulator during their early careers. Russell explained it was purely for gaining experience with simulators, which were scarce for junior teams back in 2013. "Junior teams didn’t have simulators, and there was an opportunity to do some driving on that simulator," he said.
Norris shared a similar sentiment, explaining that his stint with Red Bull's simulator occurred long before his time with McLaren. "This was when I was like 13," he said. "I was trying to get experience and learning from different people."
In the world of F1, where careers pivot on minor details, Horner's revelations offer a peek into the pressures and decisions surrounding young drivers' careers. Meanwhile, Lawson seems content to let the past stay in the past.