Returning to Racing Bulls after just two races at the senior team, Laurent Mekies believes rather than a demotion, this is an opportunity for Liam Lawson to “shine” in the “best environment possible”.

Red Bull confirmed on Thursday that Lawson would return to Racing Bulls with immediate effect, with Yuki Tsunoda taking the Red Bull Racing seat.

Can Liam Lawson find his mojo at Racing Bulls?

Although Red Bull backed Lawson in December, signing the New Zealander as Max Verstappen’s team-mate given his “potential”, he was not able to show that potential when the F1 2025 season began.

Eliminated from qualifying at the very first hurdle in Australia, Lawson went on to crash out of the wet Grand Prix. Red Bull’s higher-ups spoke of “time”.

But a week later it was evident that he had already run out of time.

The 23-year-old suffered back-to-back Q1 eliminations in qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, worst yet, he was slowest of all in both Sprint qualifying and qualifying proper.

He also wasn’t able to put in a recovery drive. While he got his elbows out in the Sprint as F1’s rookies provided the entertainment in the short 19-lap race, it took place at the very back of the field where they were well outside of the points.

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And in the Grand Prix, he was anonymous in a “slog” as he struggled with balance, bumps and grip. He took the chequered flag in 15th place, elevated to P12 when three drivers ahead of him were disqualified, but that did not negate his 65.5 second deficit to Max Verstappen.

Yet to score a point on the log while the Dutchman sits second, Lawson’s mandate to “help” Verstappen, be with “three-tenths” of him, and assist Red Bull in winning the double had not be filled.

As such Red Bull opted to throw the dice, dropping the New Zealander back to Racing Bulls, where he scored four points in six races last season, and promoting Tsunoda to the senior team.

Mekies believes this is the perfect opportunity for Lawson to show the world what he can do.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

As for Tsunoda, the longest-ever Red Bull junior at four-years-and-two-races, Mekies is delighted to see the Japanese driver get his big break.

“We’re incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing! His progress last year, and more recently from the very start of 2025, has been nothing less than sensational,” he said.

“Personally, and collectively, it has been an immense privilege to witness those progresses for all of us in Faenza and in Milton Keynes. Yuki’s energy and positivity has lightened up every corner of our factories and of our garage and he will always be a Racing Bull! We wish him all the success he deserves at RBR.”

Read next: Christian Horner: Why it ‘makes sense’ to swap Lawson with Tsunoda