Max Verstappen’s ‘ludicrous’ Chinese Grand Prix onboard footage reveals why Liam Lawson is struggling at Red Bull

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Max Verstappen has extracted everything he could have done from Red Bull’s car so far during the 2025 Formula 1 season.

It’s the first time since 2020 that the Dutchman may have a Red Bull car which isn’t going to be capable of fighting for the drivers’ championship.

Verstappen drove his heart out to sixth-place at the Chinese Grand Prix and was catching the cars ahead late in the race on lower fuel.

Realistically, his machine is fourth-best on a good day. With the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner, there may not be much point in developing the RB21.

Verstappen is doing something Red Bull have never seen before. He’s working harder than ever to extract more speed from their car.

Sadly, after just two races of struggles, Red Bull may have made their decision on Liam Lawson. He could be headed for the exit already after failing to qualify higher than 18th on three occasions.

READ MORE: Red Bull only have themselves to blame for crucial error that could cost them 2025 F1 championship title

Max Verstappen’s ‘ludicrous’ Red Bull onboard may explain Liam Lawson’s struggles

Multiple names have been thrown around amid Lawson’s struggles. Red Bull could sign Franco Colapinto if they want to hire externally.

But while their 22-year-old Kiwi still drives for them, they need to find a solution. Starting with discovering what the problem is, Alex Jacques may have an early explanation.

“No. I think he is performing wonders with that car. I think to get within two-hundredths of a second of sprint pole was ludicrous when you watch the onboard,” he said about Verstappen.

“He’s hacking away at the steering wheel like an axe chopping down a tree. He’s having to use all of his brilliance to get a car into fourth place of a Grand Prix.”

If the reigning four-time champion is ‘hacking’ away at the steering wheel, how difficult must it be for an effective rookie to deal with those problems?

It’s difficult to build confidence in a car which constantly wants to snap, and if upgrades aren’t introduced to make it more stable, nothing will change.

READ MORE: Red Bull have major ‘frustration’ with Liam Lawson after his ‘quite telling’ Chinese Grand Prix comments

Would Liam Lawson benefit from being demoted from Red Bull to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls?

There are suggestions that Lawson ‘already’ knows his Red Bull fate following his failure to score one point in two events.

However, after qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, where the sister team made it to Q3 with both cars, a realisation may have been confirmed.

Visa Cash App RB’s car may actually be better than Red Bull’s for anyone other than Verstappen. It has a much wider working window and easier to find sweet spot.

By sending Lawson back there, it may be doing him a favour. It’s whoever has to step up to his current seat who may suffer most.

It’s why Verstappen ‘isn’t happy’ with a Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda swap. He doesn’t want to see either of their careers ruined by such a move.