The case of Lawson's expulsion isn't just frightening because it's unprecedented, even in the grim world of Formula 1, where someone is dismissed after just two races. It's much more so because of the underlying message it represents.
New Zealand is anything but a motorsport nation, and Liam Lawson is anything but a super talent. It would be pointless to argue this, because these are facts. We've already seen real-life examples of both, and they certainly don't resemble the (former) Red Bull Racing driver and his background. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner knew this well, and they also closely observed how Tsunoda, who has been replaced, consistently outperforms Lawson in every metric. And not just him, but all of his struggling Racing Bulls teammates. By their side, he considers, respects, and fulfills every request, wish, and sigh. He changes as a competitor, he changes as a person, he submits to everything to comply. Despite this, it's not clear that he'll ever get the Red Bull seat...
By the way, don't get me wrong, I don't believe at all that Tsunoda is a driver of RBR's caliber, someone who can be expected to win races, to actively participate in the fight for the constructors' championship. But he's definitely better suited to this task than Lawson. But, of course, there's the damn money. They don't even give them the illusion that anything else counts when choosing a driver. Or, even sadder: they don't even give them the illusion that ANYTHING ELSE COUNTS.
Because if it mattered (in a company with as many possibilities as Red Bull, I don't understand this mentality), then they would definitely do it and place Fernando Alonso, who has been in limbo for years and deserves a much better fate, alongside Max Verstappen, willing to do anything for success, even "die" for it. A driver with whom the team could reach another dimension, both historically and economically, in the sport. If, instead of chasing business and mega-super profits, they only respected the sporting value of Formula 1 a little, they would say: "We, Red Bull Racing, give the fans what they've always wanted. Screw them, let there be Rock 'n' Roll!" Because they can.
It's true that they can also destroy better-off young people on a production line, producing more and more Liam Lawsons each season. It's sad that they exercise this right.
Photo: Planet F1
