Liam Lawson has said he “couldn’t care less” about Zak Brown’s view amid the McLaren CEO’s claim that Yuki Tsunoda merited a Red Bull drive in Formula 1 over him.
Lawson encountered a tumultuous maiden weekend with Red Bull in Australia as an attempt to rebound from a Q1 elimination ended in a crash that curtailed his race.
The New Zealander had trailed behind his more experienced team-mate Max Verstappen throughout practice, prompting him to assert that he was “slow” in the RB21.
READ MORE – Liam Lawson suggests leading cause behind disastrous F1 Australian GP qualifying
That culminated in Lawson being the lowest-placed Red Bull-backed driver on the grid, with Tsunoda, who was overlooked, propelling his Racing Bulls into the top five.
Brown pounced on the chance to aim a snide dig at Red Bull as he proclaimed that Tsunoda warranted the promotion, branding the group’s decision-making “strange”.
However, Lawson, who has been tasked with supporting Red Bull’s hopes in the Constructors’ Championship, has insisted that Brown’s comment hasn’t bothered him.
“I couldn’t care less what Zak says, to be honest with you,” Lawson declared.
“I don’t think I’ve spoken to him, ever and I haven’t read any social media over the last two weeks.”
Lawson aiming to build Red Bull momentum
Lawson’s debut with the parent Red Bull team at Albert Park marked his 12th race start in F1, with his previous appearances coming over two stints with Racing Bulls.
But while his Red Bull career started on a disastrous note, Lawson is relishing the opportunity to gain some momentum with four races coming in the next five weeks.
“Always as a driver, if you have a good weekend, sometimes you want to sit on it for a little bit,” he said.
“Then you have a bad weekend, you just want to go racing again. So for me, yes, it’s good.
“But also, [it’s good] to have lots of races at the start of the season. We have a week off [after China] and then a triple header.
“With how sort of little experience having this car, it’s just going to be good to do more weekends to get more comfortable and familiar.”
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