Liam Lawson is just two Grands Prix into his Red Bull career but could already be on the way out with Yuki Tsunoda possibly in line to replace the Kiwi at home in Japan.
Discussions are due in Milton Keynes this week as Red Bull explore if they made a mistake in promoting Lawson from Racing Bulls over Tsunoda to replace Sergio Perez. The 23-year-old has endured a dreadful time beside Max Verstappen and he may return to their sister team.
Team boss Christian Horner gave Lawson a call as Red Bull paid off Perez’s contract for the 2025 F1 season as the 35-year-old cost them the constructors’ championship. But Lawson might cost Red Bull this year after failing to adapt to their difficult car in Australia and China.
Liam Lawson has ‘lost his self-confidence’ in two Grands Prix for Red Bull
Lawson was among the slowest drivers in qualifying in Melbourne and both Sprint plus also normal qualifying in Shanghai last week. Even Verstappen feels Lawson could fare better for Racing Bulls than Red Bull as the VCARB 02 is much easier to drive than the RB21 has been.
Red Bull do not know how to fix their 2025 F1 car, as well, which could harm Lawson’s hopes of improving if given the chance. Yet it seems the writing is already on the wall as Tsunoda is expected to replace Lawson at Red Bull for the Japanese Grand Prix next time out on April 6.
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
The talk of a driver change at Red Bull so soon into the season comes after Robert Doornbos has seen a ‘painful’ change in Lawson since F1 testing in Bahrain. Crashing in Melbourne and finishing in only P12 in Shanghai has stripped the Kiwi of the confidence he needs to deliver.
Doornbos told Motorsport.com: “I spoke to Liam extensively during the test days in Bahrain and he was still full of enthusiasm. But during testing you are never on the track at the same time and with the same car, so that made the confrontation with Max perhaps not so intense.
“During the race weekends, however, it is different. It is now just painful to see how he fails to deliver. He really is a talented driver. Look at how he got on last year and immediately scored points. But now he is the worst driver in the field, and what is the reason for that?
“He has not suddenly lost his talent. But he has lost a part of his self-confidence – if not all of it. The English say, ‘Don’t crack under pressure’, but Liam seems to be succumbing.”
Liam Lawson’s qualifying struggles are leaving Red Bull with a decision to make
Lawson would have the shortest Red Bull career in F1 history if the Kiwi loses his seat ahead of the Japanese GP. Yet his results since stepping up from their junior team Racing Bulls and replacing Perez beside Verstappen have already left Horner to explore if he deserves to stay.
It was always likely to be a tough challenge for Lawson to be close to Verstappen’s pace over his first few outings for Red Bull. But it will alarm Horner and the Red Bull hierarchy just how far off the Dutchman’s times the Kiwi has been across every qualifying session staged so far.
| BEST Q1 TIMES | MAX VERSTAPPEN | LIAM LAWSON |
| Australian Grand Prix | 1:16.018 (P3) | 1:17.094 (P18) |
| Chinese Grand Prix Sprint | 1:31.916 (P5) | 1:32.729 (P20) |
| Chinese Grand Prix | 1:31.424 (P5) | 1:32.174 (P20) |
Lawson was 1.076 seconds slower than Verstappen in Q1 for the Australian Grand Prix, plus 0.813s in SQ1 and 0.750s in Q1 for the Chinese GP. His plight is leaving Red Bull to fight one-handed against McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes in the F1 constructors’ championship again.
If Lawson was even half a second off Verstappen’s times, his future at Red Bull may not be a point of discussion as he would likely at least be in the fight for points. Instead, the Hastings native is having to fight from the back and has struggled to carve his way through the order.
