“THEY’RE NOT FAIR” Liam Lawson annoyed CONFIRMS Red Bull favoured Max Verstappen  because  they took better care of his  car  than mine in testing  

The 2025 F1 season has only just begun with pre-season testing in Bahrain, but tensions are already running high within the Red Bull camp following explosive comments from rookie driver Liam Lawson. In a frank statement after the first day of testing in the RB21 – Red Bull’s latest car – Lawson openly expressed his frustration, accusing the team of favouring reigning world champion Max Verstappen by paying more attention to his car during the session.

The first day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit saw Lawson and Verstappen take turns at the wheel of the RB21, a car Red Bull hopes will help reclaim the constructors’ title after losing it to McLaren last season. Lawson drove in the morning session, while Verstappen took over in the afternoon. The results, however, showed a stark contrast: Verstappen set the third fastest time of the day, while Lawson finished eighth, almost a second slower than his team-mate.

After the session, Lawson didn’t hold back. “It’s not fair,” the New Zealand driver told reporters. “I definitely felt the technical team were paying more attention to Max’s car. Mine had grip and oversteer issues, but my feedback didn’t seem to get the same attention as his.”

The RB21, unveiled to great fanfare at the F1 75 event in London and first tested in Bahrain on February 25, is under scrutiny as Red Bull seeks to address the balance issues that plagued its predecessor, the RB20, in 2024. During the morning session, Lawson spun at Turn 3 due to a loss of control, leading to significant tyre wear. He suggested the problem could have been mitigated if the team had prioritised adjustments to its car as it did for Verstappen.

“We both drive the same car, but the way the team handled it was clearly different,” Lawson added. “I’m not asking for special treatment, just fairness so I can show what I can do.”

Team principal Christian Horner was quick to defuse the situation. “Liam is a young driver, passionate and still learning,” he said. “The first day of testing is always a challenge and we are working to optimise the RB21 for both drivers. There is no favouritism here, our aim is to ensure that both Max and Liam can perform to the best of their ability.”

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, however, took a more pragmatic stance. He acknowledged that Lawson had made a “mistake” in changing some settings when switching from hard to medium tyres, which hampered his ability to improve his lap times. “Liam did well, but he needs time to adapt,” Marko told Dutch media. “Max is the champion, and naturally the team is using his experience to accelerate the development of the car.”

Lawson’s outburst not only highlights internal friction, but also puts him in a precarious position as a newcomer to the top team. Taking the place of Sergio Perez, who was 285 points behind Verstappen in 2024, Lawson was expected to support Verstappen in the fight for the constructors’ title. Yet with this public criticism, he risks straining his relationship with the team and his teammate.

Verstappen, meanwhile, seemed pleased with the RB21. “Everything went well,” he said after the afternoon session. “I didn’t have any major problems and the car is behaving as expected. We still need more data, but it’s a good start.” His comments only fuelled speculation about disparities in team support.

The drama could be particularly compelling for German F1 fans, who have long followed Red Bull thanks to Sebastian Vettel’s past success and remain invested in teams like Mercedes. With Audi set to join F1 in 2026, German fans could see Lawson’s situation as a taste of how big teams handle young talent, a challenge Audi will soon face.

The 2025 season hasn’t even officially started and Red Bull is already navigating choppy waters. Liam Lawson, whose determination has earned him praise thanks to the viral song “I’m Liam Lawson, get out of my way!”, is proving that he’s not afraid to stand up to outside rivals or internal pressures. Will he be able to overcome the challenges of racing alongside Verstappen and prove his worth with the RB21, or will these frustrations make his journey at Red Bull even more difficult? The answers will start to unfold when the season gets underway in March.