Helmut Marko predicts what Red Bull’s rivals would have done with Liam Lawson after dismal results

Liam Lawson’s torrid start to the 2025 Formula 1 season as led to his dismissal from Red Bull after just two races.

Lawson now has the shortest Red Bull career in the team’s history. The New Zealander was brought in as Sergio Perez’s replacement, but he is already out before the Japanese Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old was eliminated in Q1 at the Australian Grand Prix and crashed out of the race in the tricky wet conditions. Lawson had never driven the Albert Park circuit before, nor the Shanghai International Circuit at the next race.

Things got even worse in China as he qualified last for the Sprint and the main race. He finished 12th on Sunday – helped by three disqualifications after the race – marking zero points from his first two Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was fighting at the front, challenging Lando Norris for victory in Australia and finishing fourth in China. While the Dutchman has also been struggling with the RB21, Lawson looked ‘frazzled’ behind the scenes as he could not gel with the car at all.

With his confidence shot to pieces, Red Bull have demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda taking his place. The former’s performances could have made his fate in F1 a lot different with another team, according to Helmut Marko.

Helmut Marko thinks Liam Lawson would not have an F1 seat anymore if he was with another team

Red Bull’s decision to drop Lawson marks a huge U-turn from the off-season. The Milton Keynes squad had felt the New Zealander had better potential than Tsunoda and could handle being Verstappen’s teammate.

However, Christian Horner was proved wrong by his start to the season. The team principal felt Lawson’s driving style would be ‘more aligned’ with the four-time champion than Perez – but even the Mexican could score podiums in the car while he was struggling to handle it.

It is an incredibly harsh decision that has been met with criticism. Will Buxton labelled Lawson’s exit as ‘laughable’ as he wished Tsunoda ‘good luck’ in the second Red Bull seat.

There was even discussions that the 23-year-old could be out of F1 entirely with Franco Colapinto being linked with Racing Bulls. However, Lawson will return to the Faenza team to ‘recover’.

As Marko puts it, the ‘luxury’ of having four cars on the grid gives Lawson another chance to prove himself. Speaking with ServusTV, the Austrian thinks he would have been out of a drive had he been with another team.

“Time is running out. And we now have the luxury of having four cockpits. With another team he might not even have a Formula 1 seat anymore, so he can recover,” he said.

“But it was simply a negative development. He can only recover when he is back in his familiar environment, I would say at Racing Bulls, and not the enormous pressure that Verstappen is under.”

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Can Liam Lawson ‘recover’ his form at Racing Bulls?

Losing his Red Bull seat will sting and Lawson will certainly be lacking motivation after such a torrid start to 2025. However, the move back to Racing Buls may play into his hands.

As Marko pointed out, the Kiwi driver knows the team well from his brief spells in 2023 and 2024. Furthermore, he has enjoyed success there, scoring points and challenging to reach Q3 – something he did not manage at Red Bull.

The feeling around Racing Bulls is one of positivity as the VCARB 02 is proving easier to handle than the RB21. Tsunoda reached Q3 in every session in the first two races, with poor strategic calls and a damaged wing in China leaving the team with just three points.

The car can clearly perform and the latest Red Bull driver to be sacked could use that to his advantage. Verstappen even said Lawson would be better off at Racing Bulls as their car is easier to drive.

Meanwhile, Tsunoda will inherit the 23-year-old’s problems at Red Bull and could also struggle to adapt to the high sensitivity of the RB21. While it seems a devastating blow, Lawson may benefit more than Tsunoda by leaving Red Bull and heading back to a more familiar and calmer environment.