JUST IN: Christian Horner Under Scrutiny as Red Bull’s D…read more
JUST IN: Christian Horner Under Scrutiny as Red Bull’s D…read more
Christian Horner and Red Bull Racing have come under fire from former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher following their choice to drop Liam Lawson after just two races.
Despite Lawson failing to meet expectations by not securing points in Australia or China, Schumacher argues that Red Bull made a misstep in their handling of the situation.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Schumacher remarked, “This all seems quite reckless to me. Red Bull urgently needs to rethink its approach because things are not working as they should.”
He further criticized Horner’s leadership, stating, “Christian Horner seems to have made the wrong call. We’ll have to ask him at the next race, or soon after, if he still stands by this decision.”
“In my view, he supported the wrong drivers, let go of valuable talent, and this is the result. The management has been poor and continues to be so.”
Did Red Bull Make the Right Call ?
Despite Schumacher’s concerns, Red Bull moves into the Japanese Grand Prix with Yuki Tsunoda, who has shown impressive early-season form with consecutive Q3 appearances.
Tsunoda’s promotion follows a strong 2024 campaign, where he outperformed all teammates at Racing Bulls and was responsible for the bulk of their points. He now has the opportunity to prove himself in a high-pressure role, particularly at his home Grand Prix.
However, Schumacher remains unconvinced by Red Bull’s approach, calling the driver switch a minor “failure” and accusing Helmut Marko of being too demanding on Lawson.
“Red Bull invests significant time and resources in young drivers, and Dr. Marko usually has a good eye for talent. But in this case, he pushed Liam Lawson too hard. Two races simply aren’t enough to judge a young driver,” Schumacher said.
“They should have given him more time. This whole situation makes no sense, and I’m genuinely surprised. On top of that, it’s destabilizing Racing Bulls, a team that was doing well. But it seems Red Bull doesn’t care about that.”
With questions surrounding Red Bull’s driver strategy, all eyes are now on Tsunoda to see if he can validate their decision in Japan.
