Liam Lawson lasted just two races in the seat of the RB21, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner making the decision to replace him with the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda
Liam Lawson has reacted to his brutal sacking by Red Bull after just two races of the Formula 1 season. Lawson has been replaced by Yuki Tsunoda as the number two Red Bull driver, behind defending champion Max Verstappen.
The 23-year-old failed to score a single point in the opening races of the season in Australia and China. He struggled with the RB21, prompting team principal Christian Horner and driver academy chief Helmut Marko to cut their losses early on by turning to the more experienced Tsunoda.
While Tsunoda is now looking forward to making his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6, Lawson has been demoted back to junior team Racing Bulls. He has marked the crushing news with an Instagram post that shows his school report, which states his desire to become a racing driver.
The caption read: “Being a @redbullracing driver has been my dream since I was a kid, it’s what I’ve worked towards my whole life. It’s tough, but I’m grateful for everything that’s brought me to this point. To every one of you who’s stood by me, thank you for all the support it means the world
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“Thank you @visacashapprb for the warm welcome. I’m excited and ready to go to work at one of my favourite places.” Tsunoda also took to Instagram, captioning a first look at his Red Bull attire: “Ready for the challenge ahead.”
Explaining the decision, Horner said: “It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and as a result we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch. We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the world drivers’ championship and to reclaim the world constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision.
“We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car. We welcome him to the team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21.”
Lawson had just 11 F1 race weekends under his belt when he was chosen to replace Sergio Perez last year. But the gamble to go for him ahead of Tsunoda, who is now in his fifth season, has backfired quickly for Horner.
The Kiwi didn’t manage to get past any of his first three qualifying sessions, including one in the Sprint format, and crashed out in the Australian Grand Prix. The decision to demote him and hire Tsunoda was made in a top-level meeting of the team’s executives.
Horner added: “We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly. Liam can gain experience as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a team he knows very well.”
