Marko admits that Verstappen "is not happy" with Red Bull's decision-making
F1 News
Helmut Marko has admitted that Max Verstappen "is not happy" with Red Bull and its decision-making after Liam Lawson was demoted back down to Racing Bulls.
Lawson's start to life at the Austrian team was a difficult one, qualifying P20 at both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix, with a DNF in Melbourne and a P16 in Shanghai all the New Zealsnder could muster. However, after just 13 Grands Prix in his entire F1 career, Red Bull Racing made the decision to replace the 23-year-old with Yuki Tsunoda, whom they overlooked originally to give Lawson the seat, meaning he will join Verstappen, while Lawson will return to Racing Bulls.
It's a decision made by Marko and team principal Christian Horner that has come under a lot of scrutiny, but it has been explained by the 81-year-old advisor that the decision stems from sporting necessity, while also acknowledging that it is a far-reaching decision - not only for Lawson, but also for the team, and for Verstappen too.
Marko knows Verstappen is unhappy with the move
Verstappen himself is clearly not happy with the decision, GPblog previously confirmed. According to Marko, there is an understanding of this from the team, but the team has to look at the bigger picture.
"We know Max is not happy," started the Austrian. "But we need two cars at the front. Not only for the constructors' championship, but also to help Max get his fifth world title," he said in conversation with De Telegraaf.
Marko believes Red Bull can make good use of Tsunoda's form now and thinks that will ultimately be to the team's advantage - and also to Verstappen's. Marko also confirms earlier reporting from this site, which reported that Verstappen left feeling good about the 'crisis' meeting in Milton Keynes on Thursday - which Marko did not attend.
According to the 81-year-old, the decision to switch was made not so much because Lawson had two bad weekends, but because he could not regain confidence in the RB21 after start-up problems that began during the winter test in Bahrain: "He lacks the confidence now and it is very difficult to turn it around yet. I think we are actually helping Liam with this. We didn't expect him to perform in the coming races, though. And then the pressure would only increase."
Marko 'sees a very different Yuki this year'
Tsunoda was not seen as a suitable candidate for the promotion until recently, but according to Red Bull's top adviser, the Japanese driver has shown a different side of himself since the start of the current season: "It is funny to see that we are experiencing a completely different Yuki this year. He has made no mistakes in the first weeks, is fast, has a new management and is full of confidence," he continued.
Marko therefore thinks Tsunoda's experience will help contribute to the development of the car, in which Red Bull hopes to start seeing improvement in three races. He also stresses that Verstappen's new teammate has worked hard over the winter and has become not only physically stronger, but also more mature.
This article was written in collaboration with Nicole Mulder
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