F1 team boss threatened to sack driver in fiery 6am phone call with star petrified

has lifted the lid on his early-morning phone calls with chief , during which he threatened to sack the driver if he continued to underperform.

Marko has a reputation for ruthlessness in Formula One after holding a position as a senior Red Bull advisor since 2005.

The 81-year-old presides over the team's junior drivers and is also a close ally of , but he will be keeping a close eye on Lawson as the New Zealander takes over from for the remainder of the season.

Lawson has six races to prove he deserves a seat under the Red Bull umbrella next season, be that at the team alongside Verstappen or with sister outfit , for whom he is racing for starting at the United States Grand Prix.

The 22-year-old knows there is pressure on him, but that isn't anything new for Lawson as he detailed the conversations he would hold with Marko in which the chief threatened to sack his driver for poor performance.

"For me it was when I was 16 and 17 years old - my first year with Red Bull," Lawson said on the when asked to recall Marko's cutting nature.

"Going from not being with a junior team, and just having my guys from New Zealand who had helped me get to where I was at that point, to then have Red Bull Racing and have Dr Marko calling and putting the pressure on you, that was what I really struggled to deal with.

"It's normally a 6am phone call, and it'll be 'you need to perform better, next weekend if you don't perform better you're in trouble', you need to basically win races.

"It's quite often, if you haven't had a good race, 'if this continues, you won't have a future with this team'. It's very cutthroat. But honestly, I'm so thankful to have gone through that with Helmut."

Lawson has already been given a handicap for his first race back in F1. Red Bull team principal confirmed that he will take a new power unit in Texas.

Having inherited Ricciardo's components for the Circuit of the Americas, Lawson will be and is due to start the Grand Prix towards the back of the grid.

Lawson would have felt harshly treated for not securing a seat this season, having stepped in for the injured Ricciardo last term. He beat his team-mate twice out of the three races they both finished together. He will have to perform similarly or face another lashing down the phone from Marko with his F1 place on the line in 2024.