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Liam Lawson Challenges Racing Bulls to Take Bold Risks Now
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Highlights
- Liam Lawson urges Racing Bulls to take bigger tyre risks in qualifying.
- Pirelli introduced the softest C6 tyre for dry tracks in 2024.
- C5 tyre now acts as a medium and offers minimal step over C6.
- Alonso and Russell succeeded using C5 tyre in recent qualifying sessions.
- Racing Bulls usually chose C6 but hesitated to adopt riskier strategies.
- Next race at Red Bull Ring on June 29 tests team’s tyre tactics.
Lawson explained to media, including RacingNews365, that the difference between the C5 and C6 is minimal and may not bring the performance gains teams hope for when they opt for the softest available tyre. “We have not been brave enough to do what some teams do and run the C5 in qualifying,” Lawson said.
He believes that, despite the data, Racing Bulls felt more comfortable staying with the C6—but the performance gap just wasn’t large enough to justify not trying what worked for others. The new Pirelli compounds, introduced to the grid in the 2024 season, have generated much discussion up and down the pit lane.
Teams are still figuring out how best to approach each race, weighing tyre wear, track conditions, and qualifying demands while chasing every advantage.
In the wider context of Formula 1, qualifying choices can make or break a team’s weekend.
The differences in grid position are often measured by hundredths of a second. Accomplished drivers like Alonso and Russell have shown that trying a less obvious strategy—using the C5 tyre even when the C6 is available—can sometimes deliver a surprise result.
Over the 2024 season so far, teams have found mixed results from experimenting, but those willing to take a chance have sometimes ended up ahead. As the calendar heads through tough circuits in Austria, Great Britain, and Belgium in the coming months, Racing Bulls face mounting pressure to close the gap.
Lawson’s call for more daring strategies comes at a time when every point is vital.
In the current Constructors’ standings, McLaren leads with 374 points, while Racing Bulls are scrapping to keep up in the midfield.
Each race weekend offers new opportunities, but those opportunities are only seized by making timely, data-driven choices that sometimes go against the consensus. Lawson’s push for Racing Bulls to embrace more aggressive tactics signals a hunger to move up the grid and break the current pattern.
With the next race set for June 29 at the Red Bull Ring, all eyes will be on whether the team decides to take the gamble in qualifying that could bring them better starting positions on race day.
John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio’s Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.
