Ruthless or desperate? Liam Lawson’s axing for Yuki Tsunoda shows the cutthroat nature of F1
The Kiwi star has been demoted after just two races, replaced by Japanese driver Tsunoda. Could the move signal bigger problems at Red Bull?
By Ben Jhoty
RUTHLESS IS A word that gets thrown around a lot at the upper echelons of F1. But it’s one way to describe the axing of Kiwi driver, Liam Lawson, for burgeoning Japanese star, Yuki Tsunoda, just two races into the season. The other is desperate.
The move is the fastest driver change in Red Bull Racing history, eclipsing even Daniil Kvyat’s fourth-round turfing to make way for Max Verstappen in 2016.
After two races, drivers are only just coming to grips with the intricacies of their cars and the politics of the team structure. But for Red Bull, a team used to success and seemingly not prepared to entertain failure, two dud races are enough to put a driver on the chopping block.
Make no mistake, Lawson’s two outings with Red Bull were unsuccessful, failing to score points in both the Melbourne and Chinese GPs.
What Lawson’s demotion mean for Tsunoda and Red Bull
He now finds himself demoted to the Racing Bulls, Red Bull Racing’s second team. While Japanese driver Tsunoda, who has been toiling away on that team since 2021, gets his shot on the first team.
To be fair to Tsunoda, he deserves his shot. Many were surprised that Red Bull opted for Lawson over the more experienced Japanese driver coming into the season. Lawson, while obviously talented, had only 11 starts to his name, while Tsunoda boasted 89. But was he thrust into the hot seat too soon?
“The feeling within the team is that the trajectory Liam is on has more potential, which is why we’ve taken that route,” Red Bull principal Christian Horner explained last year, per Autosport. “If you delve closely into [Liam’s] performances in qualifying, the margins to Yuki were very tight, and on race pace he’s come out, on average, above Yuki. When you look and consider that Liam is still only 11 races and already at that level, the potential for growth is still significant.”
That being said, Tsunoda outperformed Lawson last year, with a qualifying head-to-head of 5-1 and race head-to-head of 3-1 in favour of the Japanese driver.
Red Bull’s ‘Verstappen curse’
But perhaps Lawson never really stood a chance. He had no private testing program last year and a heavily disrupted pre-season testing schedule. Most decisively, he was taking on perhaps the trickiest car on the grid in terms of handling and manoeuvrability.
“Our car is extremely tough,” Max Verstappen noted in sympathy for his fallen teammate. “I think if you put Liam in the Racing Bulls car, he will go faster. I really think so. That car is easier to drive than ours.”
For Lawson, the experience is certainly humbling. But he still has a seat on the Racing Bulls and will no doubt be determined to show that he remains a potential world beating talent. At only 23, and just two races into the season, he has time on his side.
How driveable is Red Bull?
But you do have to wonder if the seat on the RB21, next to four time F1 Driver’s Champion Verstappen, isn’t something of a poisoned chalice. Clearly, Red Bull cars lag behind McLaren this year. They are, by all reports, tricky to manoeuvre and unpredictable. It speaks to Verstappen’s prodigious talent that he’s been able to continually challenge for the podium. Everyone else has faced an uphill battle driving this car.
It’s hard to believe now, but just two years ago Red Bull had a car head and shoulders above everyone else on the grid. But by halfway through last year, it was clear something wasn’t right, when Verstappen went 10 grands prix without a win.
There are signs the Dutchman is losing patience with the team and the car. Verstappen liked a post on Instagram by former driver Giedo van der Garde, who described Red Bull’s treatment of Lawson as “closer to bullying or a panic move”, and that they “gave Liam two races only to crush his spirit”.
Last year, Verstappen was actively chased by Mercedes, and he was also linked to move to Aston Martin. His unhappiness with how the season has progressed thus far may see rival parties circling the generational talent.
Red Bull prioritises performance over driveability
The problem, is that Red Bull has long prioritised performance over driveability, knowing that Verstappen would be capable of chalking up poles, regardless of how badly the car handled.
But that strategy meant lesser drivers struggled in the second car. The team have run through a series of drivers as partners to Verstappen, who has won four consecutive titles with them since 2021. Tsunoda will be the sixth teammate Verstappen has had in 10 seasons at Red Bull and a further indication that their car has been optimised for the Dutchman and proves a nightmare for other drivers.
Lawson is the latest casualty of that strategy. Will Tsunoda be any better? He’s in the form of his life right now and is the fifth best qualifier, behind only Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, George Russell and Max Verstappen, all in quicker cars, over the first two races of the season.
But this will be his biggest test, in the hottest seat. It’s going to be very interesting to see how it plays out – and how much rope Red Bull will give him.
Why is Liam Lawson being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda?
Lawson was axed after failing to score points in the first two races of the 2025 F1 season. His seat was replaced Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, who has been racing on the Racing Bulls, Red Bull Racing’s second team, since 2021.
Where will Liam Lawson race now?
After losing his seat on the Red Bull Racing team, Lawson will now race on the Racing Bulls, RB’s second team.
Who is Liam Lawson?
Liam Lawson is a 23-year-old Kiwi F1 driver. A member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2019, Lawson was a reserve driver for both Red Bull and Alpha Tauri from 2022 to 2024. Lawson made his Formula One debut at the 2023 Dutch GP, replacing an injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri for five Grands Prix in 2023, scoring his maiden points finish in Singapore. He replaced Ricciardo full-time at the re-branded Racing Bulls in 2024 from the United States Grand Prix onwards. Lawson was promoted to a full-time drive with parent team Red Bull for his 2025 campaign – replacing Sergio Pérez to partner Max Verstappen – but was demoted after the second round.
Who is Yuki Tsunoda?
Yuki Tsunoda is a Japanese racing driver, who is contracted to compete in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Tsunoda debuted in Formula One for AlphaTauri in 2021. Tsunoda retained his seat at AlphaTauri in 2022 and 2023, partnering Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo in the latter. He remained at the team for the 2024 season as they re-branded to Racing Bulls, before his promotion to senior team Red Bull for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Will Max Verstappen leave Red Bull?
There are indications that Verstappen is growing tired with the underperformance of his car at Red Bull. Verstappen failed to win 10 GPs last year, a relative failure given his previous dominance. McLaren has the fastest cars on the grid so far in 2025 and if the RB21 cars don’t improve, competing teams are likely to make offers.
Who is leading the 2025 F1 standings?
McLaren’s Lando Norris is on top of the F1 leaderboard after two races in the 2025 season with 44 points, 1 win and 2 podium finishes. He leads Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen who has 36 points, including 1 podium. Australia’s Oscar Piastri is in fourth place with 1 win.
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