Racing Bulls shows how it should be done but must repair Lawson damage

It was a small sentence from Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mekies, but exactly the words Lawson was looking for: "Everyone at VCARB is looking forward to working hard with Liam and giving him the best possible conditions so he can shine and showcase his talent that we all know he has."

Lawson cannot recover for long

The task facing the Frenchman in the coming days is not an easy one. Not only are there practical matters that come into play when integrating a new driver, but it is also about preparing a 'damaged' driver mentally - someone who in just two weeks saw his big dream collapse like a house of cards. Someone who has to move on to a mid-tier team in Japan and perform immediately, as if nothing is wrong.

Formula 1 is a tough business. The swap between Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson is yet more proof of that. And yes, the drivers know what it's like - you must perform; always, everywhere and instantly. That is why they are the best drivers on the planet, with attractive salaries. But it should not be forgotten that Liam Lawson is a human being, barely 23 years old. In front of the whole world, he has been sacrificed by a team that has not put its own house in order.

Lawson ahead of Tsunoda at Suzuka?

So instead of giving him confidence, there is now this switch - a substitution that has little sympathy in the F1 world. It is up to Lawson - with the help of Racing Bulls - to pick himself up. That could go one of two ways: either Lawson has totally lost his way, and disappears from the F1 stage within a year. Or - and this is more plausible - he manages to use his feelings of revenge as strength and prove Red Bull Racing wrong.

How nice would it be for Lawson if, in Suzuka, he is indeed mentally patched up and manages to put his RB car ahead of Tsunoda's Red Bull?