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Topics: Formula 1, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson, Motorsport
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has taken shots at Liam Lawson in his assessment of Yuki Tsunoda's progress since taking over.
Last month, Red Bull shocked Formula One fans after they announced that they had brutally decided to demote new driver Lawson after just two races.
The New Zealand driver was replaced by former Racing Bulls teammate Tsunoda, who had impressed so far since taking over at his home race at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
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However, Red Bull advisor Marko had explained the one thing that is holding Tsunoda back in his harsh assessment that appeared to take a dig at Lawson.
Marko has been a senior figure at Red Bull for 20 years and, in his role as the head of driver development, oversaw the progression of of two Formula One World Drivers' Champions—Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Therefore, Marko's opinions on driver performances at both Red Bull and Racing Bulls carry a lot of weight and can make or break your career within the two teams.
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Thankfully for Tsunoda, it appears that he has impressed the Austrian executive, who praised the 24-year-old for his start at Red Bull, while taking a dig at Lawson and other drivers who have been Verstappen's teammate.
"Yuki is getting better and better," Marko told German outlet oe24.
"He is the first team-mate of Verstappen who can actually match the level of Max.”
Since his promotion to the Red Bull Racing team in 2016, Verstappen has had seven different teammates, with five of them remaining active on the grid.
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The likes of Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed success while driving alongside the Dutchman, with both men winning several Grand Prix.
However, drives like Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and, most recently, Lawson all struggled to keep up with Verstappen's blistering pace during their time at Red Bull.
But Marko admitted that Tsunoda still has a long way to go before he can be considered a true rival to Verstappen or other drivers competing at the front of the grid, and he's picked out the main reason why.
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“Unfortunately, he still makes too many mistakes when the pressure starts to mount,” Marko added.
Although the gap between Tsunoda and Verstappen remains large, the Japanese driver has progressed to Q3 on three occasions and picked up six championship points in his four races in the Red Bull car.