Red Bull took a brutal stance with Liam Lawson by choosing to demote him just two races into his career with them.
He was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda in time for the Japanese Grand Prix, who he had beaten to the seat over the winter.
The Visa Cash App Racing Bulls car has shown surprising pace in 2025. Its wider setup window means that it may be quicker than the senior Red Bull car at some circuits.
The point was proven by Lawson outqualifying Tsunoda at Suzuka, and progressing to Q2 for the first time this season in what is meant to be a slower car on paper.
Helmut Marko identified a Lawson ‘problem’ at Red Bull and has tasked him with scoring some points over the next few races. He’s the only one of their four contracted drivers to have failed to make the top 10 yet.
Lawson realised Max Verstappen was right about Racing Bulls when climbing into their car for the first time during practice in Japan. It’s easier to drive than the reigning champions’ RB21 machine.
READ MORE: Yuki Tsunoda is already facing the same problem as Liam Lawson on Red Bull debut at Japanese Grand Prix
Racing Bulls ‘took pressure’ off Liam Lawson’s shoulders with behind the scenes message
At the age of 23, Lawson had to fight very hard for an avenue onto the Formula 1 grid. 2025 marks his first full-time season in the sport.
His old team welcomed him with open arms upon his return to them in Suzuka, with a pit board with read “We missed you,” ahead of the weekend’s running.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Laura Winter mentioned that the gesture would have helped to take some of the pressure off his shoulders after a tough time.
“I honestly feel for him so much in the sense that that takes so much mental fortitude to stand up and do that and hold your head high,” she said.
“And I’m glad the team took a little bit of that pressure from him in putting the lap board up with the lovely message that we saw because it just meant that he could be a human and be hugged and have people around him in that moment.”
Why Liam Lawson’s Red Bull F1 career is far from over yet
There are just 21 races before a major set of rule changes, with the 2026 F1 regulations bringing lighter and smaller cars back to the grid.
If Red Bull fail to settle on a definite second driver for next year, the door could well be open for Lawson to return if he performs well.
Red Bull fans noticed one change in Lawson after his demotion and could see that he appeared to be happier without the high expectations of the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
He’s also heading to a track which is familiar to him next time at the Bahrain Grand Prix – he can begin to build a platform to kick on with.
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