Liam Lawson hits back at Zak Brown after sharp Red Bull criticism

Liam Lawson has moved to put McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown back in his place after comments he made about the strength of Red Bull's car.

The New Zealander stated the 53-year-old does not "understand" what he is talking about.

That came after Brown claimed that without Max Verstappen, Red Bull would be behind its sister team, Racing Bulls. 

He said the Dutchman was "carrying" the Milton Keynes-based team, suggesting the VCARB 02 is a stronger package than the RB21.

When those remarks were put to Lawson, the Racing Bulls driver pointed out how easy it is to comment on things from the outside looking in.

"I don't think Zak Brown understands," the 23-year-old told media, including RacingNews365.

"It's easy to comment on stuff when you are not involved and you're outside of the picture. So, I don't think he understands."

'I can comment on a Racing Bulls car...'

When asked by RacingNews365 about the RB21, Lawson explained he did not feel he was afforded enough time in the cockpit alongside Max Verstappen's to comment on the idiosyncrasies of a car widely considered the most difficult in F1 to tame.

Having begun the year at Red Bull, Lawson was moved back to Racing Bulls after two rounds due to poor performance.

"I guess I didn't have anywhere near enough time, on two tracks I'd never been to, to really understand," he said.

"In two weekends, I don't have enough feel of the car to be able to comment, honestly, on what its speed is like and things like that.

"We were working on things to improve it and make it better for me as well, and never got the chance to use them.

"I can comment on a Racing Bulls car, because that's what I've spent most of my time driving."