Formula 1: Liam Lawson officially dropped by Red Bull, replaced by Yuki Tsunoda
Friday, 28 March 2025
New Zealander Liam Lawson has officially been dropped by Red Bull Racing.
Yuki Tsunoda will drive for Red Bull Racing from the Japan Grand Prix onwards, after a difficult opening period to the season for Lawson.
Lawson will drive for Red Bull’s junior team - Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner said: “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.”
Lawson qualified 18th for the Australian Grand Prix before he spun out and failed to reach the chequered flag. At the Chinese Grand Prix he finished 16th, but time penalties and disqualifications lifted the Kiwi to 12th.
'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,“ Horner said.
He said Tsunoda’s experience would prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car.
'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 F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a team he knows very well.”
Red Bull are known for being ruthless with their drivers but demoting Lawson for Tsunoda, just three months and one week after picking him to replace Sergio Pérez, in a two-horse race against the Japanese driver, raises the bar on the energy drink manufacturers own scale of brutal calls.
Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies said: “Everyone here at VCARB is looking forward to working hard with Liam to give him the best environment possible for him to shine in our car and to express the talent we all know he has.
“He fit in so well last year, and we cannot wait to challenge ourselves and grow as a team. With Isack having started so strongly with us already, we know we have a young and strong lineup.”
‘That’s the price you pay for arrogance’
Former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve backed the decision to axe Lawson, saying he wasn't driving to his full potential and had paid the price for his 'arrogance''.
“It makes sense [for Red Bull to drop Liam Lawson] because you can have one bad race, but not two in a row on the same track and not in a Red Bull,'' Villeneuve told NZCasino.
'That's the problem. Had he been in a Sauber, it would have been okay, but not in a Red Bull. Not when the other guy, in this case Max Verstappen, manages to be close to the front, even with a difficult car.
“Lawson does have the experience because he was in a bunch of races last year. When they were team-mates, Yuki Tsunoda was quicker. Red Bull needed to do something. I don’t think Lawson right now is driving to his full potential. Mentally he is crushed, and it is hard to step out of that.
“But that’s the price you pay when you get to a big team. It either works right away or you get dropped. That is the risk you are willing to take so you have to accept it.
“But he will still be racing in F1. He has the same contract. It doesn't change the contract the drivers have. They are Red Bull drivers.”
While Villeneuve thought Red Bull Racing would stick with Lawson for another three races, he suggested the Kiwi may have paid the price for his bold attitude before the start of the season.
“These two races [in Melbourne and Shanghai] didn't do much good for him in the paddock. It's very simple and that's the risk. When you start with Red Bull you have to be on it right away.
“And that's the price to pay for being put in the best team. You want to take that risk? Good. But then the opposite side is you'll pay a dear price if it doesn't work out. That's just the way it is. And that’s okay. That's how it should be. I thought they might give him another three races when they come back to Europe so they could then make a considered decision.
“You have to bear in mind that he came into F1 very arrogant. He came into F1 last year saying how amazing he would be and he had an attitude.
“When the results don’t come, it makes everybody react even stronger. It's actually the worst result ever in a Red Bull car. So, he's paying his own price there. He set himself up in a way.”
However, many F1 fans and experts came out in support of Lawson after news of the axing leaked earlier in the week
Prominent Kiwi motorsport analyst Bob McMurray called it a “ridiculous situation that they have got themselves into and I think the situation is entirely Red Bull's fault and not Liam's at this point.''
McMurray added that Lawson had a maximum of three days of testing in the Red Bull car, following outings in 2023 and 2024 in the VCARB car.
His words were backed up by ex-Aston Martin strategist, Bernie Collins, who asked why Lawson wasn’t given time to test the previous Red Bull car, like what Mercedes-AMG did for new racer Kimi Antonelli. “We’ve talked a lot about Kimi Antonelli,” Collins said on Sky F1.
“The testing that he’s done in that Mercedes. If he was doing the same test in the Williams or the Mercedes-engine car, it’s not giving him the same thing. We’ve spoken about how the Red Bull is really tricky to drive. It’s a very specific car. It’s not the same as the Racing Bulls.''
Even Minister for Sport Mark Mitchell weighed in, saying he was 100% behind Lawson.
“I'm disappointed if he isn't racing in the Red Bull, but I'm really excited that if he's at least back in the Racing Bull, that he can go and show everyone what he's capable of.'
Fellow Kiwi motorsport star Scott McLaughlin, currently playing his trade on the IndyCars circuit in the United States, said his compatriot had not been given a fair shot.
“Two tracks they gave Liam in that car, that he hadn’t been to before. Finally heads to Suzuka where perhaps he knows that track more than most on the calendar due to racing in Japan etc. But get’s axed before it,” he said in a post on X.
“Nothing against Yuki and I think he’s a shoe, but the Red Bull game is ruthless/irrational. I look forward to the next instalment of this broken system.”