Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has revealed why the team decided to promote rookie Liam Lawson to drive alongside Max Verstappen in 2025 rather than Yuki Tsunoda, who had been with the sister team Racing Bulls for four years.
Today, Red Bull announced that it was replacing Lawson with Tsunoda after just two Grand Prix weekends of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Speaking to OE24 before today’s news, Marko explained that the team felt the Japanese driver was too inconsistent to be promoted to the Red Bull seat but that Lawson has not coped under the pressure. He said at the time:
“Yuki was too inconsistent. That’s why we unanimously decided on Lawson. But under the increased pressure, he couldn’t deliver, right from the first day in Australia. Then he went into a downward spiral. It’s like a battered boxer; it’s very difficult to get out of it. In that sense, it was a mistake.”
Marko also touched on the impact of Adrian Newey’s exit from the Milton Keynes outfit.
“Of course, we’re missing a man like that. A Newey is a Newey. But we’re a team of almost a thousand people. The crew behind him was built up gradually.”
Lawson isn’t the only one to have struggled with the RB21. Verstappen has also has issues with his machinery and has not been in a position to fight for race wins as he would have obviously preferred. The Dutchman has visited the team’s headquarters this week to help sort out the weaknesses. Marko explained to the media, including Motorsport.com, during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend:
“We have to work hard. Max is in the factory next week with the engineers to discuss where the weaknesses are. We have to improve the car as soon as possible, but we know it will take time.”
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Verstappen is currently second in the drivers’ standings with 36 points behind his McLaren rival Lando Norris, who has 44 points. However, the real impact of the challenging start for the team comes in the constructors’ standings. The Austrian team is currently third with 36 points, behind McLaren and Mercedes. The former leads with 78 points and the latter sits in second with 57 points.
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