Lawson handed second ‘arrogance’ evaluation after Red Bull axe

Liam Lawson has been branded arrogant by a second former F1 driver following his exit from the Red Bull team.

The New Zealander was dropped from the Milton Keynes-based squad after just two races, as he struggled for pace at the events in Australia and China.

Lawson has returned to the Racing Bulls team while Yuki Tsunoda has stepped up to race alongside Max Verstappen.

1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve labelled Lawson as “arrogant” following Red Bull's decision.

That assessment has now been mirrored by seven-time grand prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya, who asserted the trait is only reputable if a driver also delivers results.

“I think right now his reputation is not good,” Montoya told Vision4Sport.

“You can see all the memes on social media. He's very cocky. A little arrogance is OK. But the problem is that when you're arrogant, you need to deliver.

“You need to back it up. This was a real slap in the face for him.”

Lawson replaced Sergio Perez at the end of the 2024 campaign as the Mexican struggled for performance for much of the year.

The pair came to blows at Perez's home race last year as they clashed wheels, later resulting in Lawson sticking his middle finger up at Perez as he overtook the 35-year-old.

As a result, Montoya has suggested the Mexican F1 fanbase is enjoying seeing Lawson struggle at Red Bull.

“The Mexicans will be loving this because he gave Checo the middle finger last year because supposedly Perez was a terrible driver,” he added.

“Now you see them in the same car and he's worse than Perez.

“It’s been a very humbling experience for Liam. I think it will help him put everything into perspective.

“If he doesn’t panic and if he stays in the moment and just goes and drives the car, I think Liam can do a really good job.”