'Couldn't handle pressure'- Helmut Marko praises Yuki Tsunoda by taking a dig at Liam Lawson

Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko praised Yuki Tsunoda for being consistent and not complaining. The Japanese Formula 1 driver was swapped with Liam Lawson at Red Bull after just two races into the season. Liam was demoted to the VCARB team alongside Iscak Hadjar.

Yuki did a pretty good job at VCARB by finishing inside the top 10 consistently. Red Bull thought Liam would be a great fit alongside Max Verstappen, but their decision is completely wrong and backfired. Red Bull boss Helmut Marko, in a recent interview, praised the Japanese driver and said their decision to bring Yuki to Red Bull is now paying off. 

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Helmut Marko takes dig at Liam Lawson

Marko said, “Liam couldn't handle the pressure at Red Bull. That's why it was the right decision to reorganise the cockpit. We know what we're doing, but we didn't drop Liam either.... The difference between Racing Bulls and Red Bull is not that big.”

Helmut Marko also praised Yuki for showing great pace as compared with Verstappen. He added, “Yuki is only 0.1 seconds behind Max. No other driver has been that close recently. He was quiet and did his job well. Even when the car was nervous, he didn't complain. He just drove calmly.”

Tsunoda has been with the Red Bull team for a long time and has more experience than the other two junior drivers, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar. He is also consistent with his pace and only a little slower than Verstappen. 

Even after moving to the VCARB team, Lawson is still struggling with the car and is behind his teammate Isack Hadjar. Max Verstappen is fighting for the championship lead against the two McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

The RB21 is not the best on the grid, and they are improving every day. With Yuki Tsunoda as a teammate, Max could somehow get some assistance in developing the car. The inexperience of Liam Lawson is the biggest reason for Red Bull to send him back to the Racing Bulls. 

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