Max Verstappen has indicated disquiet and dismay with his Red Bull team after they confirmed they will replace their driver Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda from sister team RB.
Lawson has been dropped for the season before this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix after the New Zealander has completed just two races for the team, while Verstappen remains dissatisfied with the team’s performance and their failure to bring a competitive car to the new season.
Shortly after the announcement that Lawson would be replaced, Verstappen appeared to suggest he was less than impressed with the team’s handling of the situation when he liked a post on Instagram by the former driver Giedo van der Garde, who described Red Bull’s treatment of Lawson as “closer to bullying or a panic move” and that they “gave Liam two races only to crush his spirit.”
Last year Mercedes made no secret of their desire to sign Verstappen and he was also linked with a move to Aston Martin, who have broad ambitions and deep pockets. His unhappiness with how the season has progressed thus far and approval of the use of the word “panic” may cause interested parties to once more sense a potential opening with the Dutchman.
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The decision to remove the 23-year-old Lawson, not the first time Red Bull have acted with such emphatic purpose towards an underperforming driver, was nonetheless blunt even by the team’s previous standards and an indication that competing for the Formula One constructors’ championship is a priority. Lawson will revert to driving for Racing Bulls for the rest of the season.
Lawson had been promoted at the end of 2024 to replace Sergio Pérez, who repeatedly underperformed for Red Bull, with the team finishing third behind McLaren and Ferrari last season, despite Verstappen winning the drivers’ title.
Red Bull had been optimistic Lawson would offer greater support to Verstappen but in the first two races of the season he endured a woeful return, failing to score points in Australia and China.
Immediately after the race in Shanghai, his future was thrown into doubt and on Thursday morning Red Bull replaced him with Tsunoda, the Japanese driver who has been with Racing Bulls since 2021.
“It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and as a result we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch,” the Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, said. “We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the world drivers’ championship and to reclaim the world constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision. We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car.”
The move, an act of steely resolution, is understood to have been agreed across the Red Bull organisation from a corporate level, as well as the team and including the consent of Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport adviser who oversees the development of young drivers.
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The team have run through a series of drivers as partners to Verstappen, who has won four consecutive titles with them since 2021, but none has been able to come close to the Dutchman. Tsunoda will be the sixth team-mate Verstappen has had in 10 seasons at Red Bull and a further indication that their car has been optimised for the Dutchman and proves a handful for other drivers.
Lawson said in Shanghai he was struggling with the car and that he required more time but Red Bull instead opted to give the more experienced Tsunoda the chance to step up.
The 24-year-old Japanese driver will make his debut with Red Bull at his home grand prix at Suzuka next week. He was frustrated not to be moved up to the senior team after last season given he had far more experience than Lawson, with 89 races now under his belt. However, Red Bull now believe his ability to help develop this year’s car could be invaluable, with the team having big steps to make to bring it up to pace to match McLaren, who lead the field this season. – Guardian
