Red Bull is considering Hadjar for Lawson's racing position.

      "Liam Lawson's time at Red Bull Racing seems to be coming to an unexpectedly early conclusion. While his teammate Max Verstappen pursues his fifth consecutive world championship, Lawson has distinctively been the slowest driver in Shanghai, following a similarly disappointing team debut in Australia.

      "It takes time," the 23-year-old stated, "but sadly I don’t have that. The window in which a car operates effectively is very narrow, and I seem to be missing it."

      Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes Lawson is "another driver to add to Verstappen's list," referring to past teammates like Sergio Perez, Alex Albon, and Pierre Gasly. "It’s clear that Lawson’s self-confidence is already shaken," Schumacher remarked to Sky Deutschland. "He says he doesn’t have time, which leads me to think something has occurred behind the scenes. That’s tough for such a young driver."

      Indeed, Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko mentioned that the team cannot afford to have a driver at the very back of the grid while competing for the championship. "This isn’t what we anticipated," he remarked after Lawson qualified last for the second time within one weekend. "We will discuss this calmly. We have a few drivers who are rising through the ranks. Thankfully, we are in a good position."

      The next race will take place at Suzuka, which is Yuki Tsunoda’s home circuit. When asked if he would be ready to step into Lawson’s seat in Japan, the Racing Bulls driver replied, "Yeah, 100 percent. I mean, the car is faster." A team representative then interjected to halt that line of questioning.

      Marko, 81, may already be considering other candidates. "Let’s focus on the positives," the Austrian stated on Saturday. "Isack Hadjar, who is racing on this track for the first time, is recording impressive times in his second race without making any mistakes. Yuki is right behind him, but he’s in his fifth season while Isack is entirely new. And he achieves such a time!

      "So far, what he has demonstrated is truly remarkable. In Australia, his performance was also outstanding until the accident. Those things happen - they happen to others as well. The highs and lows are very close together, and we’ll see what unfolds," Marko added, noting that just a week ago he described rookie Hadjar's tears following his formation lap crash as "embarrassing."

      When asked directly if a change in the cockpit could be forthcoming, he replied: "Formula 1 is a competitive sport, and Lawson isn’t meeting the performance we expect. Ultimately, that is what matters. We will analyze the entire weekend, and then we will determine our course of action," Marko also told Viaplay. "At present, Liam is situated at the bottom."