Horner says Red Bull will support 'struggling' Lawson

Red Bull will support struggling Liam Lawson as best they can, team boss Christian Horner said after the New Zealander drew a blank for the second race in a row in China on Sunday with questions being asked about his Formula One future.

Lawson has replaced Mexican Sergio Perez as teammate to four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen in one of the toughest jobs in the sport.

The 23-year-old Lawson did not finish the Australian opener and was 15th in Shanghai after qualifying last and starting from the pit lane. He also failed to score in Saturday's sprint.

Verstappen, meanwhile, is second in the standings.

The situation has raised questions about how long Red Bull will give Lawson, with Japan's Yuki Tsunoda on good form at sister team Racing Bulls and eager for a swap.

“Liam is a great little racer. He gets his elbows out, he races hard. He's just struggling at the moment, finding the limit with this car and getting the most out of the car,” Horner told Sky Sports TV.

“As a team, as a group, we're looking to support him in the best way we can.”

Horner recognised Red Bull needed both drivers scoring to have a hope of reclaiming the constructors' title from McLaren.

“You need to have a second car in play. You can't just do it one-legged,” he said.

Lawson said on Saturday he did not have the luxury of time, meaning also time in a car that even Verstappen has said is tricky to drive, and Horner did not offer much immediate support.

“Formula One is a pressure business, isn't it?” he said. “There's always time pressure. He knows that. Hopefully he'll respond accordingly and we'll see where we go.”

Lawson said the team had tried to do something different with the set-up and it had not worked, with the car less competitive than in the Saturday sprint.

“It's just something I've got to get on top of as quickly as I can,” he added.

“I want to be at the front and I will keep working to try to achieve that.”

Lawson doubted that former teammate Tsunoda, passed up for the seat but with a home race in Japan next up, would do any better.

“He can honestly say whatever he wants,” he said of the Racing Bulls driver offering his services. “I've raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him. And I did in F1 as well.”

Horner told reporters later there was “always going to be speculation in the paddock. We've only just finished the race here. We'll take away the information and have a good look at it.”