F1 sprint qualifying: Liam Lawson is not as slow as you think - despite qualifying 19th for Red Bull

This morning (March 21) F1 fans woke up bright and early to watch sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. Having struggled at Melbourne last week, Red Bull driver Lawson again qualified towards the back of the pack.

In fact, to the untrained eye he has somewhat gone backwards, qualifying 19th today after sticking it 18th on the grid at Albert Park. The first Grand Prix of the season was a baptism of fire for the new Red Bull driver, who had to contend with getting to grips with the new car while battling a wet and greasy circuit, eventually crashing out when the second bout of rain hit the track.

Immediately after his elimination in the first sprint qualifying session (SQ1), it seemed fans and the media were ready to pile on the 23-year-old New Zealand driver once again.

Speaking after the session, Lawson said: “It’s obviously a shame, from a starting point it wasn’t too bad and we were looking to build from there. We stayed out to try and cool the tyres on-track, and to be honest I really struggled to get the temperatures down.

“We started too hot and through the lap I just struggled - it’s frustrating.”

But while the rest of the media seems content to add fuel to the fire, I am going to jump to Lawson’s defence.

The decision to stay out and cool the tyres was not his call; that came from the pit wall. Every other driver was pitting for fresh tyres after one run, it made no sense not doing the same for Lawson.

Had he been on the same qualifying strategy as everyone else, it might have been touch-and-go to start a new qualifying lap, but his tyres would have been in a much better window to get the job done.

I don’t think what we’ve seen so far is a genuine display of Lawson’s true talent. Other drivers who have been thrust into the Red Bull frying pan have needed time to develop - just look at Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly for recent examples of this.

Red Bull needs to give Lawson time to grow into the car and the team. He proved in the junior formulas (and his brief stints with Racing Bulls) that he is a great driver, and not afraid to engage in wheel-to-wheel combat with some of the best drivers on the grid.

Watch out for Lawson in the sprint race itself - I think he’ll surprise people.