Helmut Marko has admitted that Yuki Tsunoda’s crash at Silverstone in 2022 played a role in him not being given the seat at Red Bull for the 2025 Formula 1 season. According to the Red Bull advisor, it was this incident that pitted designer Adrian Newey against his move to the lead team instead of Liam Lawson.
Speaking on Red Bull’s driver choices, Marko explained how Tsunoda hitting Pierre Gasly defined his future.
“For a long time, Yuki had the image of not performing consistently and making silly mistakes here and there. That’s what happened last year in Mexico, where the decisive phase for us began,” he said to Kleine Zeitung.
“With Lawson, it was the exact opposite at first: he came on and delivered straight away, no matter how great the pressure was. In retrospect, however, it wasn’t the right decision.”
He continued:
“In general, however, a lot can be traced back to a single incident. At Silverstone, Tsunoda once drove into Pierre Gasly’s car, and parts of the cars on the track damaged the underbody of Verstappen’s car, which cost him the race. Adrian Newey was furious at the time.
Adrian Newey, Managing Technical Partner, Aston Martin F1 Team, Lawrence Stroll, Owner, Aston Martin F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“From that point on, Yuki was a red rag to him. But now Newey is gone, and Yuki has worked hard on himself.”
The debris flung from the incident ultimately cost Max Verstappen a race win, and this left a lasting impression on Newey, who has since moved to Aston Martin.
Widely regarded as one of the best designers in modern F1, Newey surprised the paddock with the news that he was leaving Red Bull in 2024. After almost two decades with the team, he entered gardening leave in early September, separating himself from the team.
What’s interesting is that, because of this, Newey wasn’t actually involved with the team when they made the decision to put Lawson in the Red Bull seat. His wife, Amanda Newey, was quick to point this out.
Lawson’s time in the lead team didn’t go to plan. After just two race weekends he was demoted to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda taking his place after a four-year wait in the sister team.
The struggles seemed to be connected to the challenging nature of the RB21, a car that even Verstappen is challenged by this season. Leaving two weekends without any points, Lawson’s exit was fast but not totally unexpected, except for the driver himself.
Talking to Sky Sports, he said:
“It was definitely a shock, honestly. It’s not something that I saw coming.
“The discussions we were having weren’t really leaning in this direction, so it was definitely not something that I expected.”
