Is Liam Lawson in danger at Red Bull already?

Seriously, Lawson's had two grands prix. How can the rumour mill be churning over his future already? Okay so he's not escaped Q1 or scored a point yet, but getting rid of him now would be Red Bull's most brutal call ever.

With just 11 grands prix under his belt heading into 2025, the team asked him to go up against Max Verstappen - one of the all-time F1 greats - in a car the world champ himself has said is tricky to drive. That's like being asked to fight a lion armed with a stick of candy floss. After being dunked in barbecue sauce.

No, Red Bull knew what it was signing up for and the New Zealander showed plenty of promise at RB. Give him the time he deserves to get up to speed.

The Japanese driver has been with the junior squad forever, and if he isn't given a crack at the big time eventually, what on earth was the point of the last five years?

The 24-year-old has started 2025 strongly too, qualifying P5 in Australia and finishing sixth in the sprint race in China this weekend. He's earned his chance, hasn't he?

That second seat next to Max has chewed up and spat out Pierrey Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez; all excellent drivers who were either promoted too soon, or just not equipped to handle the 'frontiest' car on the grid, or both.

What Red Bull needs is the most experienced available race-winning driver. That man is... not Sebastian Vettel, who's far too happy making bee hives and thought-provoking t-shirts to seriously consider an F1 comeback.

Nope, it's Valtteri Bottas. Unceremoniously dumped by Sauber at the end of 2024, the Finn is now kicking his heels as Mercedes' reserve driver waiting for George Russell or Kimi Antonelli to come down with the flu.

That's no way for a 10-time GP winner and full-time cult hero to earn his crust. Lob him into the RB21 for a private test, and see if he's still got it.

After several years of failing to find a deputy for Max (or simply ignoring suitable candidates - come on, Carlos Sainz was right there), maybe it's time accept that the task is simply too difficult.

New idea: apply to the FIA to have Verstappen's car score double points if he pinky promises to stop swearing, then claim a victory for emissions by halving the team's carbon footprint. Greenpeace will be straight on the phone to sponsor the rear wing.

A five-time race winner with 14 years of experience in F1, the Mexican driver earned a reputation for dragging cars from the midfield to the podium in the early stages of his career. He even won a race from last place. Those are exactly the kind of credentials Red Bull is looking for, and the 35-year-old is available immediately having left his former employer last year.

Wait, hang on...

Helmut Marko is forever being quoted in the press about how Red Bull's junior drivers aren't delivering the goods. The other week it was Isack Hadjar in his crosshairs for the crime of... getting a bit upset when he binned it on his debut.

You know what they say: if you want a job done properly, do it yourself. Come on Marko, get yourself a helmet and some overalls and show the kids how it's done.