We're Not Even Through Two Grand Prix And There's Already An F1 Driver Controversy

Liam Lawson isn't even through two Grand Prix races in the second Red Bull car alongside four-time reigning champ Max Verstappen, and he is already very much on the hot seat.

Driving at Red Bull alongside Verstappen is one of the toughest jobs in all sports, not just F1. That's because the easiest way to measure a driver is by comparing them to their teammate. 

Of course, in this case, that means being measured against one of the best drivers of all time.

While Lawson always had a tough job ahead of him, his team certainly expected more out of him than what they've gotten so far.

Through two qualifying sessions and one sprint qualifier, Lawson has yet to advance past the first round. Given the Red Bull is consistently fast enough to start in the first two rows nearly every weekend, that kind of performance won’t cut it.

Of course, there's an opportunity to make up for it on race day, but he crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix with 11 laps to go as conditions worsened.

That's why, after just one Grand Prix and one sprint race, there's already talk of Red Bull — a team notoriously ruthless when it comes to mid-season driver changes — needing to make a change.

The easiest solution would be to move Yuki Tsunoda — one of the most impressive drivers in the field through the first two race weekends — from Red Bull's sister team Racing Bulls into that seat while sending Lawson the other way.

Even before the second Grand Prix. there's pressure on Red Bull's Liam Lawson (left) to get it together while Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda impresses. (Getty Images)

While Lawson is a solid driver, he has never had a full-time season in F1. Meanwhile, Tsunoda is in his fifth full-time season. That experience probably should have earned him the seat from the start of the season, but he says he's ready to go if Red Bull decides to swap seats for the Japanese Grand Prix — Tsunoda's home race — two weeks from now.

"Yeah, why not. Always," Tsunoda said, per ESPN when asked if he was ready as soon as when F1 arrives in Suzuka. "In Japan? Yeah, 100%. I mean, the car is faster."

Lawson will need to impress in a big way in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in which he'll start from the back of the grid. To his credit, he isn't making excuses for the rough start to his Red Bull debut.

"It's really tough, honestly," he said. "The window's really small, that's known, but honestly it's not an excuse. I've got to get a handle on it.