F1: Liam Lawson gets backing from Red Bull boss Christian Horner after crash at Melbourne Grand Prix

Red Bull's Liam Lawson crashes during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. Photo / Photosport

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the team will get a truer reflection of Liam Lawson’s performance at the next race, in China this weekend, after a forgettable opening round in Melbourne.

Lawson failed to finish his first full race with Red Bull as wet conditions wrought havoc at the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park yesterday.

Starting from pit lane after a change to his rear wing following Saturday’s qualifying session, Lawson had impressively managed to keep his car on track in treacherous conditions, which took three drivers out of the race before the end of the opening lap.

But, having seen off the initial showers, the return of the rain on lap 45 had Lawson lose control at turn two, hit the wall and retire from the race altogether.

Liam Lawson drives for Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Photo / Red Bull

McLaren’s Lando Norris took the chequered flag to start the season, while Lawson’s Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen, settled for second after a final lap shootout with his title rival.

“It was not the start Liam would have wanted this weekend. Luck was not on his side,” Horner said. “He is a strong driver, though, and will already be on his way to preparing for China – bouncing back.

“All in all, it was a good start to the season at a track we traditionally do not perform well at. China will be a bit more measured and will be a chance to see a truer reflection of performance. Excited to see what comes,” Horner said.

“It was always going to be tricky in those conditions. I think strategically, we called it right; Max had a very good start, but the McLarens at that time were super-strong and pulled out a gap. Then the rain came and we made the right call to get out on the slicks at the right time and we took a slight gamble to get the overcut. It nearly worked and then we had the restart and Max so very nearly stole it off Lando. Credit to him and McLaren, though – they stuck it out and took the victory.”

Motorsport expert Bob McMurray told Mike Hosking Breakfast Lawson was too slow in the practice sessions, but several factors were working against the Kiwi driver.

Lawson and Verstappen admitted a lack of pace during both Friday sessions. Even though those issues were sorted by Saturday, Lawson was plagued by a pneumatic issue with his power unit, and restricted to only two laps in the third practice as Red Bull raced to fix his car before qualifying.

In the race itself, Red Bull’s decision to prioritise Verstappen over Lawson ultimately cost the Kiwi, who was left on track in deteriorating conditions. As the team chose to give the Dutchman the first pit stop, Lawson was left out for too long on the wrong tyres and crashed at turn two.

“He was too slow. It’s basically a combination of everything. My natural wish is to be supportive of Liam and loyal, but that aside it was a torrid weekend for him; but there are lots of reasons for it, so I don’t think he’s going to be too upset. But it wasn’t a good weekend was it?” McMurray said.

“Obviously, Max is the guy that is going to earn the points for them and they’ve got to make sure Max has got what he wants. It seemed to me every time he went out he was given a different specification car, to the point that just before the race they changed the rear wing and I think they changed the nose again. So, he was driving a different car every time he went out and that’s not a good thing.

“He’s got three different races to prove himself, he’s never raced in China before, so he’s got to get his head down and just do it and hopefully, they will not use him as a tester for Max’s car again which I think they were doing,” McMurray said.