John MacDonald: Duty of care? Do me a favour, Christian

Some people think a 90-day trial for new workers is tough, but what about a two-day trial? Which is what’s happened with Liam Lawson.   And like his Red Bull teammate, world champion Max Verstappen, I think it stinks. Verstappen thinks Lawson should have been given more than two races to prove himself, and I couldn’t agree more.   Red Bull are dressing it up, saying that they’re dumping Lawson as part of their “duty of care” obligations.   Red Bull boss Christian Horner said overnight: “We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together we see that, after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience, as he continues his Formula 1 career with Racing Bulls.”  But BBC Formula 1 correspondent Andrew Benson isn’t buying it.   He pretty much said on Newstalk ZB that Red Bull are trying to put lipstick on a pig. They're dressing it up, trying to make it sound better than it is. Which is nothing short of an unceremonious dumping.    Andrew Benson says: "This is not a duty of care by any stretch of the imagination, getting rid of someone after two races.  "Duty of care is to give him a chance to try and perform a bit better. Put your arm around his shoulder and talk to him about what’s going wrong.”   So the “duty of care” line is hogwash.  But even Andrew Benson, who’s a Formula 1 correspondent and follows the sport all the time, is scratching his head trying to work out what’s happened.   He did say though, that he thought Lawson looked like a bit like a rabbit caught in the headlights at his two races this year.  He said looking at Liam off the track, while he was waiting to do interviews and things, he looked completely shellshocked.   But, like Max Verstappen, he thinks Lawson deserved to be given more of a chance to prove himself.    Verstappen isn't the only Formula I driver to think that way. He's one of several current drivers who have “liked” a post on Instagram criticising Red Bull’s treatment of Liam Lawson.   It’s a post by former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde which says: "Yes, you gotta perform. Yes, the pressure is insane. But, in my opinion, this comes closer to bullying or a panic move than actual high athlete achievements."    He says: "They made a decision - fully aware - gave Liam two races only to crush his spirit. Don't forget the dedication, hard work and success Liam has put in his career so far to achieve the level where he is now. Yes, he underperformed the first two races - but, if anyone's aware of that, it's himself."   Liam Lawson deserved more support, encouragement and time. And what's happened stinks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.