Formula 1’s Early Impressions Matter: The Case of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda
Making an impact in the world of Formula 1 is similar to a first date. A poor initial impression can be difficult to recover from, and for Liam Lawson, the newcomer at Red Bull Racing, his debut season has not been off to a promising start. Despite being promoted to the senior team after just 11 race starts in F1, Lawson’s performance during the first two races of the 2025 season has left much to be desired.
Liam Lawson’s Struggles in Melbourne and China
In his first full race weekend as a Red Bull Racing driver in Melbourne, Lawson was eliminated in Q1 in qualifying and had a challenging race, struggling to make ground initially and crashing out when the rain intensified at the end. Even Isack Hadjar, who had one of the worst weekends of his life, managed to impress more, having shown his speed in qualifying. The first day in China didn’t go well either, with Lawson not only getting knocked out of SQ1 but ending up last – with Verstappen missing pole by just 0.018s.
In contrast, Yuki Tsunoda, who was demoted to the junior squad after Red Bull promoted Lawson, had a nearly perfect weekend in Melbourne until the rain disrupted the team’s strategies. He qualified fifth, ahead of not only a Red Bull car he wanted to be in but also both Ferraris. Despite ultimately failing to capitalize on his strong form due to a wrong call by the team, Tsunoda impressed with his speed, control, and feedback during the race.
The Return of Yuki Tsunoda
After being demoted last year, Tsunoda came back fighting in the winter, showing strong spirits, high motivation, and a willingness to work harder than ever before. According to Laurent Mekies, Racing Bulls‘ team boss, they saw signs of improvement in Tsunoda even earlier this winter when he returned to Europe.
In Shanghai, Tsunoda again was best of the rest – behind only Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Verstappen’s Red Bull. Despite not getting the end result he deserved in Australia, Tsunoda remained calm on the radio during a phase of the race where he lost several positions through no fault of his own. His emotionality, which has been overblown at times, was impressive to notice.
The Importance of Mental Strength and Consistency
If Tsunoda wants to capitalize on Lawson’s struggles, he needs to keep performing at the same level consistently without letting frustration creep in when results slip away from him. After all, it’s Tsunoda’s mental strength that Helmut Marko cited as the main reason why he was not promoted last year.
A lot will depend on Racing Bulls‘ performance and Lawson’s form. Red Bull bosses always underlined that one of the reasons for Lawson’s promotion was his alleged ability to handle pressure. However, his said strength is now really going to be stress-tested, as the pressure is already piling up – whether in the form of questions from the media, Zak Brown’s comments, or even memes on social media comparing him to Perez.
Regardless of the reasons, Tsunoda didn’t get the end result to stick – and while performance may soon be forgotten, it’s the result that will stick in memory. If Tsunoda really wants to capitalize on Lawson’s struggles, he needs to keep performing at the same level consistently without letting frustration creep in when results slip away from him. After all, it’s Tsunoda’s mental strength that Marko cited as the main reason why he was not promoted.
