A tumultuous start to the 2025 Formula 1 season at Red Bull has led to drastic action being taken at the earliest opportunity.
After back-to-back races in Australia and China, Red Bull decided that a change was needed in their driver line-up.
While Max Verstappen had recorded a podium in Melbourne and strong points finishes in both races at the Chinese Grand Prix, Liam Lawson wasn’t so fortunate.
Lawson failed to get out of Q1 during all three qualifying sessions and never looked like threatening the points.
Given Red Bull dropped Sergio Perez because of his inability to support Verstappen in Red Bull’s quest to win the constructors’ championship, the decision makes sense from that perspective.
However, Lawson was given less time than any other Red Bull driver before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.
Chief advisor Helmut Marko was part of the decision-making process at Red Bull, but has admitted that Verstappen wasn’t immediately onboard with the call the team made.
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know
Max Verstappen didn’t agree with Red Bull dropping Liam Lawson
Marko was doing the rounds in the media after the decision was made, and in an interview with Motorsport, shared more details about the process that led Lawson to lose his seat to Tsunoda.
The 81-year-old Austrian was asked whether Verstappen would have preferred Lawson to have continued with Red Bull and answered: “That conclusion is correct, and he did express that.
“But we explained to Max that, in order to win the championship, we have to do everything we can to have two cars in the top 10.”
Announcing that @yukitsunoda07 will partner Max from the #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/Pz05P7cFKF
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 27, 2025
Marko was then asked what argument Verstappen made to defend Lawson, and he explained: “Max argued that the car is very difficult to drive, and that if the car were better, Lawson’s performance would improve as well.
“Of course, we’re working on further development, but at the moment, it’s hard to predict how quickly that will come.”
It was then put to Marko that Verstappen may have argued that the car’s operating window needs to be widened to help his teammate and he continued: “That was actually one of the reasons why he felt the switch from Lawson came too early — because the car is extremely difficult to drive, even for him.”
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Adrian Newey warned Red Bull against Yuki Tsunoda’s promotion
After 89 Grand Prix starts, Tsunoda finally achieves his dream of racing for Red Bull and faces an incredibly high-pressure situation, making his debut in front of his home fans at Suzuka.
Once the 24-year-old was overlooked over the winter for Lawson by Red Bull, it appeared as if his last chance to race under Christian Horner had disappeared.
However, he’s been offered one final lifeline to race for a team with the potential to win races and regularly secure podiums, but in a car that’s extremely difficult to master.
Adrian Newey wasn’t a fan of the idea of promoting Tsunoda before he departed Red Bull for Aston Martin.
The lack of joined-up thinking between senior figures within Red Bull about Verstappen’s most suitable teammate points to a failing within their junior program.
They may now regret not looking outside of their academy when other options were available last season, if the constructors’ title is still one of their main priorities.
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