Verstappen doubles down on Red Bull 'bullying' criticism

Max Verstappen has spoken out after he liked a comment claiming Red Bull’s sacking of Liam Lawson was akin to ‘bullying’ following the announcement.

The Formula 1 team were criticised by former racing driver Giedo van der Garde, who wrote on Instagram that Red Bull’s treatment of Lawson was “closer to bullying or a panic move”, a post that Verstappen liked on his official account.

When asked at Suzuka about liking the post he seemed to align himself with Van der Garde’s opinion and said: “I liked the comment, the text, so I guess that speaks for itself, right? It was not a mistake.”

“My reaction was shared with the team but in general, about not only the swap, but about everything. We discussed that already during last weekend and back at the factory.

“Everything has been shared with the team, how I think about everything. Sometimes it's not necessary to always share everything in public. I think it's better.”

Should Lawson have been axed from Red Bull?

Verstappen will have a new team-mate from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards, with Yuki Tsunoda stepping up to Red Bull for his home race.

However, after Lawson’s difficulties with the RB21 in Australia and China, the second seat may also prove to be an issue for Tsunoda who enters the team after an impressive run of form with Racing Bulls.

Lawson failed to acquire a single point in his only two races with Red Bull, and team principal Christian Horner has revealed it is crucial the second driver is close to Verstappen to aid his championship fight.

Following his exit, Lawson described the RB21 as ‘difficult to drive’ and claimed that the lack of time in the car from pre-season testing in Bahrain made it tougher for him to adjust.

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