Parc Ferme: Lawsons Folly?

Partnering the now four-time Formula 1 World Champion has generally been viewed as a career-limiting play. The records show that only Daniel Ricciardo managed to go head-to-head with him.

However, after being put on the ropes by a driver in only his second year of single-seater racing, he quickly exited stage left for Renault. That was 2019.

The second seat at Red Bull became a revolving door for the next couple of years.

First, Pierre Gasly and then Alex Albon were left looking at Max’s lap times and finding nothing in their toolkit to match him. Chasing ever more radical set-ups to close the gap, their confidence, and subsequently performance, dropped off.

The reserve ranks were by now a bit thin, and a new strategy was required. The Good Doctor was persuaded to put the shotgun back above the fireplace and acquire the services of a mature driver.

Cue Sergio Perez, a driver who already had eight years of F1 experience and was considered a steady hand on the rudder. This pairing initially worked well with Red Bull and Max Verstappen, finally beating Lewis Hamilton and Co. to both F1 titles in 2021.

However, while Perez put up a valiant defence in the first couple of years, the design direction of the RB eventually broke him too. Much like Honda’s “big bang” motorbike, only one man could drive RB20 quickly.

For Honda, it was Jack Doohan’s father Mick. For the RB20, well, we know the answer there.

History would suggest the prognosis for Liam Lawson’s Red Bull future is not good. However, this time, Parc Ferme believes history has it wrong.

Firstly, Max is already a multi-World Champion and established. The pressure of two drivers duking it out to keep a seat is no longer there.

Secondly, neither Isack Hadjar nor Yuki Tsunoda are viable replacements, so no real threats below. Finally, the Good Doctor has been blunt about what he expects Lawson to do – be within three-tenths of Max and run interference with the competition.

Oh, and don’t get ideas of beating him because that just won’t happen.

Even Jos Verstappen offers sage counsel based on his experience as Michael Schumacher’s teammate at Benetton.

Verstappen “the elder”, suggests Lawson should not chase Max’s times and set-up but go his own way. That's surprisingly good advice, although I’m sure it’s only to remind Lawson he’s not at the rarefied altitude of his son.

It’s also been suggested the antipodean will be doing a deep dive into Max’s data to uncover his secrets. Unfortunately, the only thing he’s likely to confirm is that what Max does is beyond his current capabilities.

Again Jos’ advice is sound, whether it is well-meant or not. Different drivers do different things well or poorly. He mustn't get hung up on what he identifies.

With everyone playing down their expectations, the pressure is eased as far as it is realistically possible.

Parc Ferme feels the New Zealander could be in for a softer landing than many anticipate. Lawson is not under the same pressure to climb the greasy pole that Gasly and Albon were.

Sure, the Good Doctor will regularly point out the ejector seat button during their weekly motivational chats. However, the reality is that there is no one else to pilot the plane should he press it.

If the Kiwi keeps his ambitions to himself and ignores the World Champion and his data, Liam Lawson may well do Red Bull very nicely.