Red Bull insiders delivered ‘not good enough’ verdict after pivotal Liam Lawson moment in Singapore

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Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson was brought back down to earth at the Singapore Grand Prix after a career-best performance at the previous race in Baku.

Liam Lawson is a man under pressure, which seems to be a common theme at this point in a campaign.

After his debut in 2023, Lawson starred at the Singapore Grand Prix, outqualifying Max Verstappen before ultimately seeing his seat return to Daniel Ricciardo.

Twelve months later, the paddock was dealing with Ricciardo’s impending F1 exit, with Lawson waiting in the wings to replace him for the rest of the season.

This year, Lawson has already seen his chance to prove himself at Red Bull disappear after two races, and a critical decision is now being made over whether to retain the New Zealander for 2026.

Lawson’s contract expires at the end of the year, with only Verstappen guaranteed a race seat next season among the current Red Bull roster.

Isack Hadjar is the favourite to be Verstappen’s teammate, with Yuki Tsunoda under pressure, and Arvid Lindblad tipped for a promotion from Formula 2 next year.

After finishing fifth in Baku, Lawson failed to score a point in Singapore, gambling on a safety car as he ran very long on his first stint.

However, journalist Lawrence Barretto believes that a moment earlier in the race weekend set off alarm bells among some Red Bull staff when assessing the 23-year-old.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Red Bull insiders thought Liam Lawson was ‘not good enough’ after Singapore practice crashes

Barretto was talking about the resurgence of Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes on the F1 Nation Podcast, and how he and Lawson had brilliant weekends in Azerbaijan before the Singapore Grand Prix.

He said: “So, Liam Lawson had a great weekend last time out in Baku, a great result.

“He didn’t get a call from Marko because, apparently, he only calls for things to go badly.

“And then we saw him crash in FP2, we saw him crash in FP3. And then we heard utterances from the team that it’s not good enough.

“We’re still going to put our arm around you, but it’s gone the other way for Liam.

“So, I think the job that Kimi has done in two successive weekends when his teammate is performing at such a high level, he didn’t overdrive in the race today.

“He’s still brought it home with a great number of points. And it’s significant for Mercedes, of course, in the fight for P2 and the constructors.”

READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation

Liam Lawson says ‘tough’ qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix ruined his chances of scoring points

Lawson crashed in FP2 before putting his Racing Bulls car in the barriers again on the exit of turn 16 during Saturday morning’s practice session.

His mechanics did a brilliant job fixing his car in time for qualifying, but the time he lost during both practice sessions to perfect his setup and learn more about the track ultimately cost him.

Starting in 12th, Lawson stayed out for as long as possible, and had he managed two more laps on the medium tyres, he might have been fighting Carlos Sainz for the final point, as the Spaniard nailed the same strategy.

Instead, as he explained in his post-race media session, it didn’t quite go to plan: “We stayed out most of the race on a set of mediums and unfortunately ended up behind a train of cars after we boxed.

“Had we started higher up the grid, we could’ve potentially ended up in the points with our pace, but a tough quali meant it was going to be tricky from the outset.

“It’s been a difficult weekend in challenging conditions, but my focus is now on Austin.”

Simon Lazenby heard ‘whispers’ that Lawson could be dropped for 2026, but he also faces a head-to-head battle with Tsunoda for a Racing Bulls seat that could go either way right now.

Helmut Marko wasn’t impressed with Lawson, and that could ultimately decide his Formula 1 future.