F1 Insider Calls Out Red Bull's Decision To Promote Liam Lawson Over Yuki Tsunoda

Saajan Jogia | 13 Hours Ago

Nov 20, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda (22) poses for photos at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has called out Red Bull's decision to replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson instead of Yuki Tsunoda. Herbert likes Tsunoda for his "feistiness" which he believes is the kind of "mentality" to go against the best drivers, such as Max Verstappen.

After a turbulent season where Perez's performance suffered greatly, which contributed to Red Bull losing the top two spots in the Constructors' Championship to McLaren and Ferrari, a Red Bull shareholder meeting after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix decided to part ways with the Mexican driver.

Both VCARB drivers, Tsunoda and Lawson, were under close evaluation for a promotion to partner Verstappen at Red Bull. Despite the fierce competition between the two, Red Bull ultimately chose Lawson over Tsunoda for the coveted seat. However, the Japanese driver was Herbert's favorite. Revealing his perspective, Herbert told Plejmo.com, as reported by RacingNews365:

"The one who has impressed me the most is Yuki.

"I like his feistiness; he’s not afraid to shout. I like his qualifying, where he has the edge is his strong head. 

"He is not scared to say things either about his team or the other drivers around him. You need that type of mentality to go up against the best. 

"Would he beat Max? I am not sure but I think it would be close. That is what Red Bull needs."

However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hasn't ruled out Tsunoda's potential promotion in the future. He said:

"But that doesn't rule Yuki out in the future - it was a very split decision and Yuki certainly impressed the team when he tested in Abu Dhabi. 

"His feedback was good and, if required, he would be there to be drawn upon if we needed to. 

"We have a lot of information available to us, and 11 races is a short amount of time, but if you delve closely into [Liam's] performances in qualifying, the margins to Yuki were very tight, and on race pace, he's come out, on average, above Yuki."

Revealing why Lawson was handed the Red Bull promotion, he added:

"What has really stood out with him has been his attitude and his ability to deal with pressure, Brazil was an interesting one.

"All the rookies looked a little bit like rookies, but Liam didn't drop the car, he didn't make mistakes and looked like a seasoned campaigner, and he is agile as well. 

"He has got broad shoulders, which you need to be in that seat, and Checo, certainly for three of the four years coped with that pressure, and Liam has got the right character to cope with the pressure of being Max's team-mate and the expectations on him are very clear.

"We are not expecting him to beat Max, he is a generational talent, but the objective is for Liam to be as close as he can and bag as many points so we don't have a 285 points deficit between the cars."