Liam Lawson’s demotion to Racing Bulls after just two Grand Prix appearances for Red Bull Racing might be a positive move for the young Kiwi driver, says former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Lawson’s brief tenure with Red Bull marked the shortest stint for any driver at the Austrian outfit. However, Montoya views this as an opportunity for Lawson to regain his confidence in familiar territory.
“They may be saving Liam's career by dropping him to Racing Bulls because he's already been there, he's done well,” Montoya stated. “He's been competitive, he's been on par with Yuki [Tsunoda], he beat him in some races, he's been behind others, but he's been doing well. He'll have that chance again to get back into a car and say, 'Oh, this feels normal.’”
The Core Issue: Red Bull’s Focus on Verstappen
Montoya believes the core issue at Red Bull lies not with the drivers but with the team’s engineering philosophy, which is overly tailored to Max Verstappen’s driving style. "The problem is, I don't know if it's at the Red Bull engineering core. I understand that the entire Red Bull [team] is tailored to Max. Everything has been done to make Max comfortable, for what Max wants,” Montoya remarked.
Verstappen thrives in a car that prioritizes aggressive cornering and a responsive front end. However, Montoya suggests that this setup is not ideal for every driver. “Max wants the car to turn. If it's unstable, he doesn't care. That it turns, it's what he wants most, and it's perfect. The problem is that the other side of the garage also has engineers,” Montoya added, highlighting the imbalance in car setup philosophy.
Lawson Told to Copy Verstappen’s Driving Style
Montoya further criticized Red Bull’s approach to Lawson’s development, suggesting that the team asked him to emulate Verstappen’s driving style instead of adjusting the car to suit Lawson’s strengths. “I'm pretty sure they talked a lot about it [at Red Bull]. 'He's driving badly, he's braking badly. Look how Max brakes. Look how Max releases the brake, look how Max moves his hands,’” Montoya explained.
Rather than adapting the car to Lawson’s driving preferences, Montoya suggests that Red Bull’s engineers tried to coach Lawson into mirroring Verstappen’s style. Drawing from his own experience at Williams, Montoya recounted a similar situation where his performance lagged behind Ralf Schumacher’s due to a mismatch between his driving style and the car setup.
“I need someone else because I don't need a coach. I need an engineer. I need someone who, instead of saying I'm driving badly, will change the car for me so I can drive it," Montoya recalled.
Yuki Tsunoda: Red Bull’s New Bet
In Yuki Tsunoda, Montoya believes Red Bull may have found the ideal candidate to complement Verstappen’s garage. “And this is kind of what Red Bull needs. Red Bull needs to take someone on and build the other side of the garage with that person, and they have to take the time to do it. For them, Yuki is the perfect person,” he concluded.