You don’t have to be a Formula 1 driver or even a hardcore fan to have thoughts about Red Bull Racing’s decision to demote Liam Lawson after just two races, and we’ve seen plenty of folks take to social media to share their view.

One such driver is Scott McLaughlin, who currently competes in IndyCar for Team Penske but who cut his teeth in the world of Australian Supercars. And it’s safe to say McLaughlin isn’t impressed.

Liam Lawson not ‘given a fair shot’ with Red Bull

On Wednesday, Red Bull Racing confirmed that it would be swapping Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda, giving the Japanese driver a shot alongside Max Verstappen, while the Kiwi driver would be provided further opportunities to evolve as a driver.

The news came after just two Grands Prix in the F1 2025 season, Australian and China. While Verstappen currently sits second in the overall points standings, Lawson had failed to score a single point during and, further, had failed to proceed beyond the first stage of qualifying for the events.

The odds were not exactly in Lawson’s favor. The Kiwi had just 11 races under his belt when launching into the year, which kicked off with two circuits he’d never raced on. Add that to the wet conditions in Australia, the hectic sprint race format in China, and a challenging RB21, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

The Red Bull F1 team is notoriously cutthroat, but Lawson’s demotion after just two races represents the shortest stint at the team throughout Red Bull’s two-decade history.

Further, it has kicked off an ongoing debate about whether or not Lawson’s demotion was fair.

More on Liam Lawson and Red Bull driver swaps:

👉 All the mid-season driver swaps Red Bull have made in their F1 history

👉 Red Bull’s seven shortest driver stints – and why they ended

Scott McLaughlin — one of IndyCar’s star drivers and current employee of Team Penske — didn’t hesitate to weigh in on the situation on X.

McLaughlin’s quotes are as follows, with the original punctuation intact:

“Here’s a take that you didn’t ask for. 2 tracks they gave Liam in that car, that he hadn’t been to before. Finally heads to Suzuka where perhaps he knows that track more than most on the calendar due to racing in Japan etc. But get’s axed before it. It’s a cruel sport, but I really don’t think he was given a fair shot IMO. Ok.. if he goes bad at Suzuka, I get the change up. But give the kid a chance if you are going to throw him in the deep end against a 4x world champ to begin with, why even give him the shot in the first place if you aren’t going to ride the wave? Nothing against Yuki and I think he’s a shoe, but the Red Bull game is ruthless/irrational. I look forward to the next instalment of this broken system.”

James Harvey, a Porsche racing driver, quoted McLaughlin’x post with thoughts of his own.

“‘Tracks he hasn’t driven before’ should never be on the excuse list for a professional racing driver, less so one deemed good enough for an #F1 seat,” Harvey wrote.

McLaughlin responded, “Ok let’s go to Bathurst in whatever car you want, one on one and I don’t want you to give me an excuse that you haven’t driven there before when I crush you by seconds” followed by a crying laughing emoji.

The conversation between McLaughlin and Harvey almost perfectly encapsulates the ongoing drama regarding Lawson’s place in the Red Bull program.

While some have argued that a driver in Formula 1 should be able to adapt instantly to a new team, others have wondered how accurately any driver could be adequately judged with just two outings behind the wheel of a new car — one that has proven challenging even for Max Verstappen.

We may not have asked for McLaughlin’s take, but the perspective of a professional driver always provides valuable insight into a team’s decision.

Read next: Hit or miss? Rating Red Bull’s previous in-season driver swaps