Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has heavily criticized Liam Lawson in his assessment of Yuki Tsunoda’s progress since taking over.

Last month, Red Bull shocked Formula 1 fans by announcing the brutal decision to demote new driver Lawson after just two races.

The New Zealander was replaced by his former Racing Bulls teammate Tsunoda, who had impressed so far since taking over at his home race, Suzuka Circuit, Japan.

However, Red Bull advisor Marko explained the one factor holding Tsunoda back in his harsh assessment, which was apparently directed at Lawson.

Marko has been a leading figure at Red Bull for 20 years and, as head of driver development, oversaw the progress of two Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champions: Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Therefore, Marko’s opinions on the performance of drivers at both Red Bull and Racing Bulls carry great weight and could be decisive for his career at either team.

Fortunately for Tsunoda, he appears to have impressed the Austrian executive, who praised the 24-year-old driver for his Red Bull debut, while also heavily criticizing Lawson and other drivers who have been Verstappen’s teammates.

“Yuki is getting better and better,” Marko told German outlet oe24.

“He’s the first Verstappen teammate who can truly match Max’s level.”

Since his promotion to the Red Bull Racing team in 2016, Verstappen has had seven different teammates, five of whom are still active on the grid.

Drivers such as Sergio Pérez and Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed success driving alongside the Dutchman, both winning multiple Grands Prix.

However, drivers such as Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and, most recently, Lawson struggled to keep up with Verstappen’s blistering pace during his time at Red Bull.

But Marko admitted that Tsunoda still has a long way to go before being considered a true rival for Verstappen or other drivers competing at the front of the grid, and pointed out the main reason.

“Unfortunately, he still makes too many mistakes when the pressure starts to mount,” Marko added.

Although the gap between Tsunoda and Verstappen remains wide, the Japanese driver has reached Q3 three times and scored six championship points in his four races with Red Bull.