Two F1 drivers ‘had to fight’ to escape Red Bull contracts once their promotion prospects ended

Red Bull Racing have been at the centre of everybody’s attention in Formula 1 in the build-up to the Japanese Grand Prix.

There were three mid-season driver changes on the F1 grid last season, but no teams blinked as fast as Red Bull have this year.

Liam Lawson had achieved his dream of driving for Red Bull after just 11 Grand Prix starts with their sister team Racing Bulls.

Red Bull chose Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda, citing his mindset and capacity to improve as two of the main reasons why they overlooked the more experienced Japanese driver.

However, just two race weekends later, Tsunoda is preparing to make his debut for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix after Lawson’s performances fell below the threshold that team principal Christian Horner could tolerate.

Checking out the new fit 😮‍💨#F1 || #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/a43WqZgrvo

— Oracle Red Bull Racing | オラクル・レッドブルレーシング (@redbullracing) April 2, 2025

While Lawson would have loved more time to prove his worth to Red Bull, there are some drivers who struggle to find a way out of the system.

Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly are two drivers who had very different careers within the Red Bull set-up, but both ended up wanting to escape to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz had to ‘fight’ to get out of Red Bull’s F1 program

Journalist Lawrence Barretto was discussing the current driver situation at Red Bull on the F1 Nation Podcast.

Red Bull have left themselves in a difficult situation, especially if Max Verstappen decides to leave with several teams on the grid interested in his services.

He explained: “I think maybe what Red Bull might need to consider doing is letting some drivers go a little bit easier.

“Carlos really had to fight to get out, Pierre really had to fight to get out.

“I think if there was this understanding that they will support them, but if there is this blockage getting into the main team, actually, it’s not the end of the world.

“You’re not going to be sat on the bench at the sister team forever, or you’re not going to be on the sidelines forever.

“If they were maybe a little bit more open to that and then just kind of taking on that, we were Red Bull, we brought you through, taking that kind of the benefit that comes with that. Maybe that would be a good thing.”

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Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly are the perfect inspirations to Liam Lawson after Red Bull exit

There is yet to be a single driver who has been dropped by Red Bull who has ever returned to race for the team again.

Sainz was linked with Red Bull last season when he lost his seat at Ferrari, but he was never handed a promotion from Toro Rosso before deciding to move on and join Renault.

Gasly did earn a promotion alongside Verstappen in 2019 after his first full season in Formula 1 was deemed a success.

However, he lasted just 12 races before Alex Albon was called up to replace him, although Otmar Szafnauer had to convince Red Bull to let Gasly go by suggesting that they sign Nyck de Vries instead.

Both drivers have thrived since leaving the Red Bull system, winning Grand Prix for other teams in the paddock.

Lawson is undoubtedly talented, and Tsunoda’s performance over the upcoming triple header will identify whether he was the problem, or if the RB21 is simply too difficult to drive if you’re not Verstappen.