Here is your F1 news for Thursday, March 27.
Max Verstappen ‘fumes over Liam Lawson’
Max Verstappen is reportedly ‘furious’ with Red Bull over the imminent sacking of Liam Lawson. The New Zealander is expected to be axed after only two races, with Yuki Tsunoda lined up for a swap.
According to GPblog, Verstappen is said to have told Red Bull to place their trust in the 23-year-old Lawson and afford the Kiwi more time in the RB21. However, discussions between key Red Bull officials are said to have culminated with a consensus that a change should be made.
It is claimed that Verstappen is angry that Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have made the decision.
Ferrari risk losing Lewis Hamilton ‘trust’
Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins believes Ferrari risk losing Lewis Hamilton’s trust after a series of mishaps. The latest setback saw Hamilton’s and team-mate Charles Leclerc’s cars disqualified at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s car exceeded the maximum plank wear by 0.5mm, while Leclerc’s was 1kg underweight.
Collins told Sky Sports: “When Sebastian Vettel came to us at Aston Martin, I really wanted him to think we were good at our jobs. I really wanted him to go ‘if she calls me to pit, I’m going to do it because I trust the team’. Now we have had a strategy thing, a radio thing and now disqualification, so it makes the driver unsure.
“Lewis was really struggling in the car on Sunday, and the car was illegal. The changes in set-up didn’t react in the way he wanted to, or he wouldn’t have been so slow in the race, and they’ve been illegal.
“So it is a bump. If they go through it and they find whatever’s wrong, then Lewis can get over that pretty quickly. But it’s one of these little things that adds to the lack of trust.”
Christian Horner ‘ignores £16.7m offer’
Red Bull team principal Horner is reported to have turned down a £16.7m (€20m) offer from Honda to promote Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver remained at Racing Bulls while Liam Lawson was elevated to drive alongside Max Verstappen during the off-season.
Die Limburger report that Honda – who have supported Tsunoda throughout the 24-year-old’s career – were turned down when they made the proposal. However, Tsunoda could soon replace Lawson if reports that the Kiwi driver is set to be replaced after only two races are to be believed.
