Perhaps it would be one of the images that Red Bull, especially Helmut Marko and Christian Horner, wanted to avoid at all costs, but it happened: Liam Lawson qualified ahead of Yuki Tsunoda. You could look for all the excuses in the world, that the Japanese was under pressure in his first contact with his new car, that he was racing at home… but it turns out that Lawson, the worst debutant in the history of Red Bull, has been sent back to the Racing Bulls, and it’s working again, and the Japanese, who has had the best start to his career, is going to the back of the grid.
It is difficult to draw logical conclusions from these results, especially since this has been the cross of the classification for Red Bull, but the upside has been Verstappen’s pole by achieving an impossible pole. So, at first glance, the only logic is that the car is tailored exclusively to the New Zealander’s characteristics. It is true that the pole position is due to Verstappen’s perfect driving, which does not reflect the real strength of the car, but either that is the case or the father of “Checo” Pérez, who a few days ago said again that the number 1 car is a different car to his team-mate’s, is going to be right. Although it would not be logical, it would be like shooting oneself in the foot on the part of the Austrian team.
Liam Lawson vindicates himself
These have not been easy weeks for Liam Lawson, who has seen the wheel of Red Bull taken away from him with only two races contested. However, he has arrived in Japan eager to vindicate himself and, in a way, he has done so. The result obtained is nothing to write home about if we compare it with his teammate, he achieved fourteenth position, while Hadjar achieved seventh place. But for the first time this year he has made it to Q2, and more importantly for him, he has managed to finish one place above Yuki Tsunoda, his replacement at Red Bull.
It so happens that one of Lawson’s excuses was that he had not yet driven on a familiar circuit, as he had never been to Australia or China, and he was asking for a chance on familiar ground. Japan was familiar ground, and back at Racing Bulls, his results have been better than at Red Bull. It is certainly a small victory that must have made the young driver feel very good, and he will now be able to breathe a little more easily.
Tsunoda gets tangled up
The truth is that Yuki Tsunoda‘s feelings in free practice were very positive for the Japanese, but when it came down to it, he fell apart. As has been said many times, it can’t be easy having Max Verstappen as a teammate, and today he experienced it first-hand. While the Japanese driver watched his chances of going through to Q3 disappear, he saw from the pit wall how his number one teammate put in an incredible lap to snatch pole from McLaren.
Now we have to wait and see what happens in tomorrow’s race. Both drivers have gained a position after the penalty to Carlos Sainz and will start in 13th and 14th place. And it is clear what the main objective of both is right now. Lawson, to maintain his position, and Tsunoda, to recover it at all costs. The Japanese driver has more to lose than the New Zealander, that seems obvious, but Lawson’s desire, anger and motivation do not bode well for the first few corners where anything can happen. We will see if orders come in from the wall, they are not the same team, but as if they were, and this matter is surely already being dealt with from the garages.