Lawson mounts strong defence of 'tough' Red Bull F1 programme

Liam Lawson has launched a strong defence of Red Bull's junior programme, believing failure would mean a driver is not capable of succeeding in F1.

After Daniel Ricciardo was axed post-Singapore, Lawson was drafted in at RB to replace his fellow antipodean, with a potential 2025 Red Bull seat up for grabs if he out-performs Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez continues to fail to deliver. 

Lawson is the 16th driver to race in F1 having received backing from the Red Bull junior programme, with Dr Helmut Marko known to be a hard taskmaster, with drivers jettisoned after not performing, including sometimes mid-season. 

However, Kiwi Lawson has defended the Red Bull approach, believing it teaches young drivers good "survival" traits needed in F1.

"Everyone has their views of the Red Bull programme, especially the junior programme and how tough it is," he told F1.com. 

"At the time, I probably felt like it was too tough at times, but honestly that is what has prepared all of us who have been through it to get to F1.

"If you can’t survive that part of the programme, if you can’t survive it at that age, you’re never going to be able to survive in Formula 1 anyway.

"It’s something that I’m really thankful for now, to do the five races last year [as injury replacement for Ricciardo.]

"I don’t think I would have been able to do that at a decent level if I hadn’t been through that programme. 

"I would hate to think what it’s like to jump into F1 without having the experience of that pressure from a young age. The expectation on us is something that helps build you for F1."