Ted Kravitz has recently recalled a moment from this year’s Chinese Grand Prix when Christian Horner “shut down the interview” after being asked a question over Liam Lawson’s poor start to his rookie season with Red Bull Racing.
After failing to secure a podium finish in any of the last 19 races of the 2024 season, Sergio Perez was given his marching orders from Red Bull, costing them around £15.5m after the Mexican driver was given an ill-advised extension to his contract earlier in the year.
Liam Lawson was given the nod to replace Perez for 2025, following a glimpse of some impressive performances with Racing Bulls after taking over from Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races of the previous term.
The New Zealander’s status as a Red Bull driver lasted all of two race weekends, with Lawson swiftly being demoted back to Racing Bulls before the Japanese Grand Prix. The 23-year-old felt like he wasn’t able to shine in his role due to the limited amount of time he had with the RB21.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Ted Kravitz recalls Christian Horner’s fury over a question about Liam Lawson at the Chinese Grand Prix
Lawson’s final outing as a Red Bull driver came at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he struggled immensely in qualifying but showed some glimmer of hope with his race pace.
After qualifying 19th and finishing 14th in the Sprint race, the young Kiwi had a disastrous qualifying session for the Grand Prix, setting the slowest time in Q1 to book himself in for the final slot on the grid.
Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz recalled questioning the then-Red Bull boss Christian Horner about Lawson’s performances in comparison to his predecessors, to which the team principal did not like one bit.
“I said, ‘Do you have a little problem with Liam?’ And he didn’t really give an answer,” Kravitz told The Telegraph. “He just said, ‘Well, you know, it’s OK, we’ll address it.’
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
“Had he said, ‘Well, it’s very interesting you say that. You know, Liam’s actually had an issue with turn six all week; he’s losing time, he’s actually not as slow as the times would suggest.’ If you give a bit of an explanation and description for my viewer, then I would have thought, okay, fair enough.
“It was the way he said, ‘We’ll take a look at it.’ And I just instantly thought, ‘Hang on, you didn’t pay off Checo for this, did you? You wanted a quicker driver, is he not a quicker driver?’ I think that’s word-for-word what I said, because it was just a human reaction in my head.
“And then he looked at me with that stare that I’ve become quite used to with Christian, and then sort of shut the interview down and said, ‘We’ll look at it, and then make a decision.’”
It’s not the first time that Kravitz has been on the wrong side of Red Bull personnel, nor will it likely be the last time.
Max Verstappen boycotted questions from Kravitz after the presenter made a comment at the 2022 United States Grand Prix regarding the events that led to the Dutchman’s first world title in the preceding year.
READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth
Laurent Mekies is hesitant to make the same driver mistakes as Christian Horner at Red Bull
Since taking over the reins at Red Bull from Horner in July, Laurent Mekies has yet to decide on the future of the drivers within the stable of the Austrian constructor, with Verstappen currently the only driver at the team with a contract for the upcoming 2026 season.
Yuki Tsunoda’s future is looking the most questionable.
DRIVERTEAMFranco ColapintoAlpine*George RussellMercedesAndrea Kimi AntonelliMercedesLiam LawsonRacing BullsIsack HadjarRacing BullsYuki TsunodaRed BullDrivers out of contract at the end of the 2025 F1 season
*Franco Colapinto on a race-by-race contract
He has failed to replicate the results of his high-flying teammate, and Helmut Marko is keen on placing Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, given his impressive rookie season with the Faenza-based team.
The reason why a decision hasn’t been hastily made yet is due to Mekies being hesitant about making the same driver errors as Horner.
The 48-year-old would rather not let talent slip through the cracks at Milton Keynes, given that Tsunoda has proved he’s a capable driver from his time at Racing Bulls.