Helmut Marko has branded Liam Lawson “inconsistent” whilst showering Isack Hadjar in glowing praise following the São Paulo Grand Prix.
The Racing Bulls team-mates both enjoyed a strong Sunday at Interlagos, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.
Utilising the offset one-stop strategy, the former was able to finish where he started, whilst the latter slipped behind the New Zealander, having taken fifth on the grid.
However, the 21-year-old was fortunate not to take himself and Lawson out of the race altogether with an ambitious and ultimately fruitless move around the outside of Turn 1 on the 71st and final lap.
The pair banged wheels but avoided disaster, bringing home 10 points to fend off the growing threat of Haas in the constructors’ standings.
With three rounds of the season remaining, Racing Bulls is 12 points clear of the American squad, but Oliver Bearman, who has scored 20 points in the past two weekends, is enjoying a career purple patch of form.
More consequentially to the Faenza-based team’s drivers, adding to the intrigue of Lawson and Hadjar’s shared fate in the Red Bull family, is that the joint entry is yet to make its final decision on its 2026 driver pairings.
The Frenchman is guaranteed a seat at either outfit, but despite heavy speculation, it remains unconfirmed that he will take the step up and partner Max Verstappen next term.
On the other side of the garage, meanwhile, Lawson is fighting for his F1 future and is vying for a seat along with Yuki Tsunoda and Arvid Lindblad, but it remains unclear whether the 23-year-old will find himself on the outside looking in.
Nonetheless, Marko’s comments in his column for Speedweek might not completely fill him with confidence, despite the strong round in Brazil.
"A strong team result for the Racing Bulls with Liam Lawson in P7 and Isack Hadjar in P8, both already in the top ten in qualifying," wrote the Austrian. "Therefore, a word about the New Zealander and the Frenchman.
"Lawson has found his footing with the Racing Bulls, but his performances are still inconsistent."
Those words will not come as music to Lawson's ears, especially as Marko was complimentary of Tsunoda’s pace during the grand prix, even if he did endure a pair of 10-second time penalties.
Moving on to appraise Hadjar, the 82-year-old dropped another hint that he would be promoted to the second seat at the top team.
"Hadjar is, in my opinion, the revelation of the season and would be better positioned in the championship standings than P10, but he has suffered four engine problems," he said.
"When the Parisian's car is working, he is a reliable contender for a top-ten finish – this bodes very well for his future."
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