The Lawson sacking isn't just chilling because it's actually unprecedented, even in the harsh world of Formula 1, to fire someone after just two races. It's mainly because of the underlying message it sends.
New Zealand is anything but a motorsport nation, and Liam Lawson is certainly not a super talent. There's no point arguing this, because these are FACTS. We've seen real examples of both before, 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 watched closely as Lawson was constantly outperformed by Yuki Tsunoda, who was put in his place. And not just him, but all of his suffering teammates at Racing Bulls. Alongside him, he takes every request, desire, and sigh into account. He's evolving as a driver, he's evolving as a person, he's submitting to everything to match. Despite this, it's not a given that he'll get the Red Bull seat...
Actually, let there be no misunderstanding, I don't think Tsunoda is an RBR-level driver at all, someone who could be expected to win races, to actively take part in the fight for the constructors' championship. But he's certainly more suited to that task than Lawson. But there you have it, that infernal money. They don't even give the illusion that anything else matters to them when choosing a driver. Or even sadder: they don't even give the illusion that ANYTHING ELSE MATTERS.
Because if it mattered (in a company with possibilities like Red Bull, I don't understand this mentality at all), then they would certainly take Fernando Alonso, who has been on the sidelines for years, much more deserving of a better fate, willing to do anything for success, even to "die" for it, and install him next to Max Verstappen. A driver with whom the team could place itself in another dimension, both historically and economically. If they respected even a little the sporting value of Formula 1 instead of focusing only on business and the quest for super profits, they would say: "We, Red Bull Racing, give the fans what they have always wanted. Come on, let it be Rock 'n' Roll!" Because they can.
It's true that they can also serially destroy young talents who deserve a better fate, by producing new Liam Lawsons every season. It's sad that they exercise this right.
Photo: Planet F1
