Red Bull has decided to axe Liam Lawson in favour of Yuki Tsunoda after just two races in their 2025 campaign.
Lawson endured a tough first two races of the season with Red Bull, having struggled to get to grips with the tricky RB21 during the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.
The 23-year-old crashed out of the season opener in Melbourne while chasing the points-paying positions, having qualified towards the back of the grid and opting to start from the pit lane.
In China the same thing happened, with Lawson over a second off the pace in qualifying leading to him making a pit lane start after Red Bull made a setup change to his car to make it easier to drive.
Lawson could only manage P15 on the road, having climbed his way up the field, which later became P12 following the disqualifications of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly. Speaking to media after the race, Lawson reportedly looked like he knew his time was up.
Reacting to the sudden swap, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde has given a scathing take on the matter in a post on his Instagram page.
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Giedo van der Garde reacts to Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda swap news
Van der Garde raced with Caterham for two seasons between 2012 and 2013 before he left the team amid their financial difficulties.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner referred to the fact that the team had a “duty of care” to Lawson in their press release, however, Van der Garde has taken aim and branded their tactics ‘bullying’ after getting rid of him in such a short space of time.
“I’m getting a bit tired of all the comments that F1 is the toughest sport in terms of performances and when you underdeliver you’ve gotta face the consequences. Yes, you gotta perform. Yes, the pressure is insane. But in my opinion, this comes closer to bullying or a panic move than actual high athlete achievements,” said Van der Garde.
“They made a decision – fully aware – gave Liam two races only to crush his spirit. Don’t forget the dedication, hard work and success Liam has put in his career so far to achieve the level where he is now. I remember my own blood, sweat and tears – and that was to reach F1. Let alone driving for an absolute top team.
“Yes, he underperformed the first two races – but if anyone’s aware of that it’s himself. Perhaps he has suggested this himself, but if not I wish Liam all the strength and courage to get to the grid in Japan. Trust yourself, get your head up, prove them wrong.”
Liam Lawson holds unwanted Red Bull record after axe
Having been axed after just two races, Lawson now holds the unwanted record for being the driver with the shortest career at the Milton Keynes squad.
Prior to this season it was Robert Doornbos who had the least starts with Red Bull, having been drafted in to replace Christian Klien at the end of 2006.
| Driver | Career span |
| Robert Doornbos | 3 Grands Prix |
| Vitantonio Liuzzi | 4 Grands Prix |
| Nyck de Vries | 10 Grands Prix |
| Pierre Gasly | 12 Grands Prix |
Even Pierre Gasly was given more time to improve at Red Bull with 12 races, while Lawson was effectively ousted after just 10 days of the season.
Honda is reportedly paying Red Bull double the amount of money for Tsunoda to be in the seat alongside Verstappen until the end of the season.
