Red Bull's 'insane' young driver programme: Up/Down China

Two races – that’s how long it took.

Milton Keynes is already in crisis mode and considering firing one of its drivers out of a Red Bull-branded cannon.

Previous ‘victim’ Daniil Kvyat (a driver who actually beat Daniel Ricciardo in his only full Red Bull season) was given a year and a bit. So was Alexander Albon. Pierre Gasly had 12 races.

Now Liam Lawson could be out after just a pair of grands prix.

How did we get here? The self-confident Kiwi looked to be just what Horner and co needed. Quick, but pushy too – elbows permanently out.

But Lawson is a victim of current state of F1: it’s just so competitive. After crashing out Down Under, in Q1 for last weekend’s Chinese GP he was 1.1sec off the pace set by Lando Norris – and that meant he was last.

It isn’t difficult to lose a second around the long and winding Shanghai track, even when you’re comfortable with the car. Lawson clearly isn’t. He’s qualified last twice now, when the whole field can be covered by a Paddock Club napkin.

Now it’s being whispered that Yuki Tsunoda or even Isack Hadjar might be promoted even in Lawson’s place as early as the next race in Japan.

“It’s all depending on performance, and he didn’t deliver,” said RB driver guru Helmut Marko. Uh-oh.

Going Down: Red Bull’s young driver programme

Things are developing so rapidly, might we see Red Bull F2 driver Arvid Lindblad in a Racing Bull by the end of the season.

Should Lawson be given more time? Yes, obviously, but the grand prix world is often even less rational than the real one.

Going Up: Papaya stew simmering nicely

They can only pretend to be mates for so long. When things start to get more tense between the McLaren men, we should be in for an almighty title scrap.

With its 1-2 in China and 2-3 for Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard in IndyCar at Thermal, the orange army nearly did something it hadn’t done for 49 years – win on both sides of the pond on the same day.

On May 2 1976 James Hunt clinched the Spanish GP, while Johnny Rutherford won the IndyCar race in Trenton. There’s still time this year to make it happen again!

Going Down: Racing Bulls’ pit strategy

Twice Racing Bulls has been looking good on for points in grands prix, and twice the team has dumped Tsunoda out of the top ten with a hopeless approach to tyre strategy.

Ah well, when he’s a Red Bull driver in two weeks he’ll have much bigger worries.

Haas turnaround

Haas went from being totally adrift of the field in Melbourne to Esteban Ocon scoring its second-best ever result with fifth following the disqualifications, with Ollie Bearman promoted to P8.

That’s some turn up for the books and, like the Lawson situation, shows how close F1 is right now.

Can’t see for the Alpine woods

Alpine were on the up last season, and now look nowhere – particularly hurt by the new FIA directive on flexi wings, apparently.

Tech chief David Sanchez needs to come up with something quickly before he’s given the classic Renault/Briatore chop!

Going Up: Aston’s Jordan tribute

Aston Martin, the team that was originally Jordan Grand Prix, paid tribute to eponymous founder Eddie Jordan with a design which incorporated the first team’s 1991 logo. Lovely stuff.

Going Up: Where is the original Lance Stroll and what have you done with him?

He doesn’t score a point for six months, then finishes in the top ten in two consecutive races. Is this a new Lance Stroll?! The Canadian driver continues to confound.

Going Down: Alonso left behind

Meanwhile, his illustrious team-mate Fernando Alonso is yet to even finish a race. Can the man who used to have a thing for quoting samurai sayings get a grip in Suzuka, where he qualified fifth and finished sixth last year?