Red Bull driver Liam Lawson has admitted his performance is “not good enough” after he qualified in last place for the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. Lawson stated, “I don`t have time,” highlighting the pressure he is under to improve quickly.
Lawson, who stepped in for Sergio Perez, has struggled in qualifying this season. He was eliminated in Q1 in both previous qualifying sessions and again in the sprint qualifying in Shanghai on Friday.
In contrast, Max Verstappen, his Red Bull teammate, secured fourth place in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing just two-tenths of a second behind pole position.
“It’s really challenging. The performance window is very narrow, which is known, but it`s not an excuse,” Lawson told.
“I need to get on top of it. It was a messy session, and even if traffic hadn`t been an issue, it still wouldn`t have been good enough. We should be fast enough on our first lap, and these issues shouldn`t be the reason for being knocked out. I simply need to improve.”
Lawson also retired from the Australian Grand Prix the previous weekend. He faces a difficult task to score points in Shanghai.
When questioned about the reasons for his struggles, Lawson explained, “I think it’s simply a matter of time. Unfortunately, time is not on my side. Driving a Formula 1 car requires complete confidence. It`s not that I lack confidence, but the margin for error is so small that I seem to be missing the mark. I need to get a grip on this. To put it simply, it’s not good enough.”
Red Bull had to choose between Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda has been with Red Bull`s sister team since 2021. In China, Tsunoda qualified ninth, while rookie Isack Hadjar outperformed Tsunoda and will start Sunday`s race from seventh.
Lawson had only participated in 11 races before 2025. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner remained vague about the timeframe Lawson has to improve. Horner commented, “It was a tough day for him today. We will review everything, analyze it thoroughly, and aim to provide him with the best possible car for tomorrow.”
Commentary from Martin Brundle:
“These are challenging times. Seeing Tsunoda performing well adds to the pressure. He was seven-tenths of a second slower than Verstappen in Q1, which at first glance might seem like a small margin per corner, but it`s significant in reality.”
“Finding those seven-tenths is a major task. However, Lawson`s positive attitude of acknowledging the need for personal improvement is commendable. This approach will be better received by the team than blaming external factors.”
Commentary from Karun Chandhok:
“Lawson needs to be given at least half a dozen races to prove himself. It`s clearly a challenging car to handle, and judging drivers like Yuki or Isack requires giving them sufficient time. Judging him before that would be unfair.”
“The initial flyaway races before the European leg will likely be a natural point for performance evaluation and discussions.”
Gilbert Pendleton 
Wesley Dunham