Helmut Marko now explains what Yuki Tsunoda ‘lacks’ that prompted Red Bull to promote Liam Lawson

Not for the first time in Red Bull Racing’s Formula 1 history, they had a difficult decision to make between two drivers.

Typically, Red Bull are trying to work out whether a driver in their line-up is performing at a higher level than in the junior team, in this case, Racing Bulls.

However, the 2024 season highlighted that Sergio Perez wasn’t up to the required standard, albeit in a car that was increasingly difficult to drive.

Perez was let go by Red Bull and that created a situation where Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson were competing to replace him.

Tsunoda impressed in a post-season Red Bull test, but this took place a day after a shareholders meeting where Perez’s successor was chosen.

Team principal Christian Horner and chief advisor Helmut Marko were key protagonists in deciding who would replace Perez.

Horner and Marko both agreed on Lawson and despite the delay in announcing his promotion, received the backing of the organisation.

Helmut Marko explains why Red Bull promoted Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda

Marko took part in an interview with Kleine Zeitung and explained the team’s reasoning for picking Lawson despite his inexperience.

He said: “With his mental strength, Lawson is the one who is most likely to be able to hold his own alongside Max; nobody can beat him at the moment anyway.

“Due to his limited Grand Prix experience, we also see the greatest potential for further development in him.”

Marko was then asked about Tsunoda coming away ‘empty-handed’ from promotion talks and continued: “The decision was certainly disappointing for him.

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“His speed is undisputed, but he lacks a certain consistency and he is also a very emotional driver.

“Lawson’s overall package was just right, and Yuki Tsunoda is the spearhead for the Racing Bulls.”

It’s a heartbreaking decision for Tsunoda off the back of his strongest campaign in Formula 1 to date.

After seeing off Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo, Tsunoda’s head-to-head record against Lawson was very strong.

Unfortunately, Red Bull went with potential over current ability when it came to choosing their next driver to partner Verstappen.

Liam Lawson is now under pressure to prove he was right driver for Red Bull to promote

While Lawson has won the race between himself and Tsunoda to race for Red Bull in 2025, the expectation on him will only ramp up from here.

Verstappen is the team’s number one driver but Lawson has to prove that he can do a better job than Perez did this year to support the Dutchman.

Red Bull lost the Constructors’ Championship because Perez’s dropped below an acceptable level the longer the season went on.

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His run of 19 races without finishing on the podium highlights the issues he faced, with Red Bull only 77 points behind McLaren despite Perez’s points deficit to Verstappen sitting at 285 points.

Lawson has the backing of the Verstappen family but whether that lasts the entire season is yet to be seen.

Red Bull believe Lawson’s driver style better matches Verstappen’s, but if the RB21 is as hard to drive as the RB20, that may not matter.