Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Thomas Maher: Formula 1 Journalist on Liam Lawson's demotion from Red Bull Racing

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Thomas Maher: Formula 1 Journalist on Liam Lawson's demotion from Red Bull Racing · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Fits official Liam Lawson has been dropped by Red Bull.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: It was announced overnight that Yuki Sonoda will replace him
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: as Max for Stefan's teammates, but Liam will still be
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: racing in the Racing Ball Team. Our team boss Christian
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Horne says, this is a purely sporting decision and there's
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  Speaker 1: a duty of care to protect and develop Lawson. FORMU
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  Speaker 1: one editor and journalist at plentatif one dot com is
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  Speaker 1: Thomas Ma who joins you now, good morning to you, Thomas, Oh.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning. How are you no? Thanks for having me on.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I'm in New Zealand and obviously I'm outraged at
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  Speaker 1: this decision. And I get the feeling that Red bulls
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  Speaker 1: running around like chickens without a head.
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  Speaker 2: It is a little bit of a chaotic situation. I
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  Speaker 2: think that's developed over the last couple of weeks. From
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  Speaker 2: speaking to sources on both sides of the story over
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  Speaker 2: the last twenty four hours, the feeling very much is
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  Speaker 2: that it was just a little bit too much too
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  Speaker 2: soon for Lim in appointing him at Red Bull, and
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  Speaker 2: that's the safest thing to do to protect Lim and
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  Speaker 2: to look after basically his future, his mentality, his mindset,
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  Speaker 2: his competitiveness for the future is to drop him back
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  Speaker 2: into the Racing Bull seat and give the Red Bull
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  Speaker 2: seat to someone a little bit more experienced. On that
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  Speaker 2: man then is Yuki Sonoda. Lim obviously struggled a little
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  Speaker 2: bit for performance over the two opening weekends of the
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  Speaker 2: twenty twenty five Championship in Australia and China, and it
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  Speaker 2: was a little bit panic stations, I think at Red
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  Speaker 2: Bull because there was nothing to suggest that that Lim
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  Speaker 2: was going to be able to turn it around in
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  Speaker 2: the short term. So for those reasons, as I said,
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  Speaker 2: the decision has been taken to protect Lim and from
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  Speaker 2: speaking to two members of Lawson's camp, the feeling in
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  Speaker 2: the camp is that this is the right move, that
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  Speaker 2: they're welcoming the decision and the possibility of, you know,
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  Speaker 2: protecting Lawson's future and his mindset for the future.
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  Speaker 1: It's a big risk guy by Christian Juna because of course,
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  Speaker 1: if Liam gets into the racing Bulka races at Suzuka
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  Speaker 1: Trekking nows very very well and then blitzes Yuki, then
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  Speaker 1: finally the blame will come back not on the driver
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  Speaker 1: but on the.
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  Speaker 2: Car very much so. And Lim has been open about
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  Speaker 2: the fact that the Red Bull Lub twenty one has
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  Speaker 2: been a very difficult car for him to drive. And
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  Speaker 2: I think what we've seen over the last couple of
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  Speaker 2: years is that, you know, the car alongside Max Verstappen
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  Speaker 2: has traditionally struggled for competitiveness, and Lim is no different
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  Speaker 2: in that regard. He's jumped in the car, he has
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  Speaker 2: struggled to adjust immediately. Some of that seems to be
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  Speaker 2: on his side, some of it seems to be on
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  Speaker 2: the car side. And I think we're going to get
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  Speaker 2: answered very quickly on this because Yuki Sinoda is a
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  Speaker 2: known quantity. Granted he hasn't got the experience with this
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  Speaker 2: exact car, but Yuki is an established member of the
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  Speaker 2: upper midfield. So if he suddenly jumps into the car
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  Speaker 2: and qualifies, you know, eighteen twenties, as we've seen with Lim,
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  Speaker 2: it seems it would seem to be pretty definitive that
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  Speaker 2: the car is the bigger issue and not so much
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  Speaker 2: the driver. But if Yuki you know, jumps in the
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  Speaker 2: car and all of a sudden it is making it
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  Speaker 2: into Q three and does pretty well, then that suggests
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  Speaker 2: it is more driver. So it is going to be
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  Speaker 2: very interesting to see what happens at Suzuka, because I
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  Speaker 2: don't think there's anywhere to hide for either Red Bull
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  Speaker 2: or you gets to know that at this point.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, absolutely, Thomas matra I, thank you so much for
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  Speaker 1: your time journalistic Planet if one dot com. For more
• 3:33
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• 3:36
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• 3:39
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