Former Aston Martin strategy engineer turned Formula 1 pundit Bernie Collins suggests that Liam Lawson’s sacking from Red Bull could be attributed to his lack of testing.
Lawson’s F1 career comprises 13 Grands Prix, 11 of which were contested with the Racing Bulls Faenza squad.
After Sergio Perez’s imminent departure from Red Bull in December 2024, Lawson was promoted to the second seat alongside Max Verstappen.
With scarce running in F1, let alone with Red Bull, Lawson was promoted based on his potential, but demoted after two underwhelming GP performances in 2025 with the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Collins argued on air to Sky Sports that Red Bull should have completed a TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] programme with Lawson ahead of his big move, akin to how Mercedes prepared rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“We’ve spoken about how the Red Bull is really tricky to drive,” she said. “It’s a very specific car. It’s not the same as the Racing Bulls.
“What I’d love to know, what we should have asked Christian is, why did Red Bull not do a similar program to Mercedes with Liam Lawson, or whoever is going to be in the second seat?
“Why was he not doing 60 test days last year in a four-year-old Red Bull?
“It’s going to have the same characteristics. There’s no cost cap limit in that.
“He could have stepped into the car in a much, much stronger position than he currently is.”
Lawson’s rivals given significant prep time
Compared to Antonelli, a Mercedes Junior Driver before being called up to the big time, Lawson was placed in a vulnerable spot from the start of his Red Bull contract.
Antonelli had received extensive testing time with the Mercedes, covering more than 9,000km in TPC and took part in Mercedes’ young driver tests.
Collins explained: “We’ve talked a lot about Kimi Antonelli, the testing that he’s done in that Mercedes.
“If he was doing the same test in the Williams or the Mercedes engine car, it’s not giving him the same thing.”
Lawson’s first outing as a Red Bull driver was disastrous, exiting in Q1 and failing to finish the Australian GP at Albert Park.
The Kiwi unfortunately retired from his debut race for Red Bull after spinning off track during the rainfall, planting his car in the barriers.
Lawson earned a 12th-place finish at the Shanghai International Circuit, finishing a minute behind teammate Verstappen, but his Chinese Grand Prix Sprint weekend was characterised by two dismal qualifying showings, where he finished last on both occasions.
That was enough to prompt an immediate swap with Yuki Tsunoda.
Lawson has been robbed of the opportunity to improve, with the sacking stripping him of the chance to acclimatise to the car by the Japanese Grand Prix, where he would have raced on a circuit he knew from his days in Super Formula.
READ MORE – Red Bull confirms Yuki Tsunoda swap with Liam Lawson from F1 Japanese GP
