Liam Lawson’s F1 future uncertain as teammate outperforms him - Editorial
THE FACTS
- Liam Lawson’s Formula One career is in jeopardy after a disappointing Canadian Grand Prix.
- Lawson is struggling in qualifying, often starting near the back, impacting his race performance.
- Younger teammate Isack Hadjar is outperforming Lawson, highlighting a significant performance gap between the two drivers.
Liam Lawson’s Formula One career sits on a knife’s edge.
The weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix brought yet more disappointment for New Zealand motorsport fans. After qualifying in 19th place on the 20-car grid, Lawson struggled from the start and did not finish the race.
The 23-year-old is at the point where he needs a stunning reversal of form – a result for the ages – if he is to hold on to his seat with Racing Bulls next year.
For Kiwi fans, it is frustrating to watch – particularly as Lawson’s talent and potential is evidently on show.
In the Friday practice sessions in Montreal, the New Zealander had plenty of speed. In fact, his pace in practice has been strong in recent races; his race weekends started with real promise in Miami, Imola, Monaco and Barcelona.
But the pedal hits the floor on Saturdays. In qualifying, he hasn’t replicated his pace in practice.
With the Formula One field as close as it is at the moment, slow qualification times mean Lawson has been condemned to being near the back on race days. The vital championship points, the lifeblood of a driver’s career, have been out of his reach.
In Canada, he wasn’t the only one who qualified badly, of course. Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly also started at the back. But the most worrying thing for Lawson is that he’s developed a pattern of qualifying outside the top 10. Only once this season has he qualified in the top 10, in Monaco; he has only bagged one top-10 finish, his eighth in that same race.
Compounding the perception of his struggles, it has become widely understood that his Racing Bulls team have produced a good car for this year. It’s said to be one of the most drivable in the pit lane, and Lawson is yet to make the most of it.
But his main point of concern is this: the most-watched indicator of performance in Formula One is how a driver compares with his teammate. So far this season, Lawson is being hammered by the guy with whom he shares a garage, Isack Hadjar.
The performance of Hadjar is a problem for Lawson. The French rookie has reached Q3 four times and scored points five times. He has 21 points so far this season, Lawson has four. He has only out-qualified Hadjar once this year, in Saudi Arabia. That’s the kind of difference in results that people are noticing.
This season, Lawson has been on average 0.3s slower than Hadjar in qualifying. That’s made Hadjar the standout rookie and it’s making the Kiwi look ordinary, even though the margins are small.