Liam Lawson admits it is a “tough” moment with Red Bull triggering a driver swap which sends him back to Racing Bulls.

That decision from Red Bull comes after Lawson was just two race weekends into his career with the senior team, as Yuki Tsunoda comes the other way and will debut for Red Bull in front of his home fans at the Japanese Grand Prix.

‘Tough’ Red Bull demotion for Liam Lawson

Lawson had failed to score a point or escape Q1 at the Australian and Chinese GPs, but despite these being tracks that the New Zealander had never visited before as he began his first full season in F1, speculation already began to bubble up that Red Bull could make a change.

And those rumours became reality with Lawson swapped for Tsunoda ahead of Suzuka.

Following the announcement, Lawson has taken to Instagram to give his reaction to the decision, one which understandably comes as a blow.

“Being a Red Bull Racing driver has been my dream since I was a kid, it’s what I’ve worked towards my whole life,” he began.

“It’s tough, but I’m grateful for everything that’s brought me to this point. To every one of you who’s stood by me, thank you for all the support it means the world.”

Now, Lawson gets the chance to re-build his confidence and F1 career at the junior Racing Bulls team, having contested 11 grands prix previously with the Faenza outfit across two stints.

His return will come at a track which the 23-year-old is very familiar with in Suzuka.

Pierre Gasly before him demonstrated how a return to the Red Bull second team can be a very useful way of resurrecting an F1 career.

“Thank you Visa Cash App Racing Bulls for the warm welcome,” Lawson continued, “I’m excited and ready to go to work at one of my favourite places.”

More on Red Bull’s Liam Lawson demotion

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Racing Bulls had made an impressive start to F1 2025 with the pairing of Tsunoda and rookie Isack Hadjar, establishing themselves as a major threat inside the top 10.

And the team is excited to re-unite with Lawson as they look to keep the good times rolling.

“Everyone here at VCARB is looking forward to working hard with Liam to give him the best environment possible for him to shine in our car and to express the talent we all know he has,” said team principal Laurent Mekies.

“He fit in so well last year, and we cannot wait to challenge ourselves and grow as a team. With Isack having started so strongly with us already, we know we have a young and strong line-up.”

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