Lawson dumped as Red Bull make millions

Liam Lawson out as Red Bull make strategic driver switch with lucrative Honda deal in play – The F1 paddock has been abuzz with speculation for weeks, but now it seems official: Liam Lawson is out and Yuki Tsunoda is in. This website was one of the first in the world to break this story two days ago but now the move is confirmed that Red Bull will dump their rookie Liam Lawson after just two races.

Red Bull Racing is said to be finalising a mid-season driver swap that will not only reshape the team’s roster, but could also add millions to the team’s coffers thanks to a lucrative deal with engine partner and long-time backer of Tsunoda, Honda.

Lawson’s departure, rumoured since the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, is said to have been confirmed following high-level talks in Dubai. While Red Bull have yet to make an official announcement, several media outlets in the Netherlands, including De Telegraaf and De Limburger, have reported that Lawson’s time in the Red Bull cockpit is over just two races into the 2025 Formula One season.

 

 

 

Red Bull’s Dubai summit and Honda’s influence

The reported decision was made during a Red Bull summit in Dubai earlier this week, which was attended by Thai majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya and key Honda representatives.

Honda, who supply Red Bull with engines and have been a major supporter of Yuki Tsunoda since his F2 days, appear to have played a central role in the negotiations.

According to sources quoted in De Limburger, Honda’s financial influence may have tipped the scales in Tsunoda’s favour. The Japanese engine manufacturer is said to already be contributing around ten million euros a year to secure Tsunoda’s seat at Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s rebranded junior team formerly known as AlphaTauri.

Honda had previously reportedly offered a further ten million euros to secure Tsunoda’s promotion to the senior Red Bull Racing team, an offer that was initially rejected by team principal Christian Horner.

Now, however, with Lawson struggling and momentum building behind Tsunoda, the situation has changed dramatically. There’s growing speculation that Red Bull have gone back to Honda to gauge just how much they’d be willing to pay to see their home-grown talent alongside reigning world champion Max Verstappen. While the exact figure remains undisclosed, sources suggest the sum is substantial enough to justify the move, both from a sporting and financial perspective.

 

 

Lawson’s short and underwhelming Red Bull stint

The writing was on the wall for Liam Lawson ever since his disappointing season-opener in Melbourne. Expectations were high for the 23-year-old New Zealander, who had impressed many with his substitute appearances during the 2023 season. But when he was handed a full-time starting berth in 2025, his performances fell flat.

In Australia, Lawson failed to score. Things went from bad to worse in China, where he finished last in sprint qualifying and 14th in the sprint race. In the main event, Lawson started from the back of the grid and finished 12th – a far cry from Verstappen’s dominant victory.

His inability to compete near the front, or even outperform midfielders, raised eyebrows within the Red Bull hierarchy, known for their ruthlessly competitive standards. As his performance lagged, rumours began to circulate, with insiders pointing to Tsunoda as a potential replacement.

TV analyst and former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher fanned the flames when he told Formel1.de earlier this week: “I think the matter is settled. According to my information, the matter is settled and Tsunoda is in the running. Schumacher also expressed concern for Tsunoda, warning him against stepping into the fire next to Verstappen without adequate preparation. “If I were him, I wouldn’t accept it. You’d burn out two drivers.”

 

 

 

Tsunoda’s promotion: High risk, high reward

While Tsunoda’s form has improved dramatically over the past year, earning praise for his maturity and pace, joining Red Bull’s top team brings a new level of pressure. He’ll be measured against Verstappen – a driver at the peak of his powers and with an iron grip on the team’s strategic direction.

Tsunoda’s move is expected to be confirmed ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on 4-6 April. Fittingly, the announcement could be made on home soil for both Tsunoda and Honda. Fans in Japan will now get the rare treat of seeing a local hero compete for victories in a Red Bull Racing car, a scenario that hasn’t been seen since Takuma Sato’s days with BAR-Honda in the mid-2000s.

If Honda’s financial push is indeed behind Tsunoda’s promotion, it serves a dual purpose – elevating their ambassador to a championship contender, while further deepening their partnership with Red Bull ahead of their planned engine collaboration in 2026.

 

 

 

What’s next for Lawson and the Racing Bulls seat?

As the focus shifts to Tsunoda’s new challenge, the question remains as to what’s next for Liam Lawson. While he’s now officially out of the Red Bull Racing seat, there is speculation that he could return to Racing Bulls – should a seat become available. That will depend on what happens next with Tsunoda’s now vacant cockpit.

Among the names being bandied about as a possible replacement is Franco Colapinto, the 21-year-old Argentinian who impressed during the 2023 season and is currently a reserve driver for Alpine. Colapinto’s name has gained traction not only because of his talent, but also because of his marketability to the growing South American fan base.

Others have mentioned Red Bull Junior Ayumu Iwasa as a possible call-up, given his connection to Honda and current performances in Super Formula. Whoever takes the Racing Bull seat is likely to face the same relentless scrutiny that has defined Red Bull’s development pipeline for years.

 

 

The wider implications for Red Bull’s driver philosophy

The situation underlines Red Bull’s uncompromising approach to talent development. Drivers are expected to deliver results almost immediately or risk being cast aside – a trend that has been seen over the past decade with the likes of Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.

Liam Lawson’s exit after just two full races is the latest example of this ruthlessness. While the New Zealander may not be finished with F1 – especially given Red Bull’s pattern of recycling talent – his immediate future appears uncertain.

For Tsunoda, this opportunity is both a reward and a test. He has long been seen as a Honda protégé with untapped potential, but now he’ll have to perform under the most intense spotlight imaginable. Anything less than consistent podium finishes could raise questions about whether Red Bull made the right choice.

For Red Bull Racing, this move is as much about future-proofing as it is about this season. With Verstappen still under contract and the team eyeing a full Honda return in 2026, putting Tsunoda in the seat now could be the first step in laying the groundwork for that next era.

 

 

Lawson told of demotion by media, not team

As if the sporting blow wasn’t hard enough, further reports from within the Formula One media sphere have painted an even more disturbing picture of how Liam Lawson was informed of his removal from the Red Bull Racing seat. According to several insiders, the young New Zealander did not receive the news of his demotion directly from the team – but instead learned of his fate through external media reports. Specifically, it appears that Lawson found out he had been dropped through Dutch media outlets such as De Telegraaf, rather than hearing the news from Red Bull management.

This revelation, if true, underlines the cold and transactional nature of Red Bull’s driver programme, where communication breakdowns are not uncommon and drivers are often the last to be included in the conversations that define their careers. For Lawson, who had spent months preparing for what he hoped would be his breakthrough season, the way he was informed adds a deeply personal sting to an already professional setback.

While internal discussions about Lawson’s future had clearly been going on for weeks – dating back to his underperformance in Melbourne and Shanghai – the lack of direct communication reflects poorly on a team that boasts world-class infrastructure and resources. One would expect such a sensitive matter to be handled with some degree of transparency or respect, particularly for a driver who has been part of the Red Bull programme for years and who had performed commendably in a substitute role last season.

The optics of the situation are particularly worrying given the timing of the reports. De Telegraaf broke the story in full days before any official team statement, catching both Lawson and much of the motorsport community off guard. For Lawson, the fact that he may have had to read about his own professional downfall online before any official communication from Red Bull arrived adds a bitter layer to the whole episode.

Whether Lawson was completely in the dark or partially aware of the shifting tides behind the scenes, the lack of direct closure from Red Bull Racing suggests that the team’s internal processes may be as cutthroat as its reputation suggests. It also raises questions about how driver management and team culture are handled in an environment where media narratives seem to take precedence over private discussions.

 

 

 

Red Bull’s PR department under fire amid another media leak

It’s not just the handling of Liam Lawson’s demotion that has Red Bull under fire – their entire PR strategy is starting to show cracks. Once again, the team has been caught flat-footed as major internal developments are leaked to the media long before any official confirmation. In this latest instance, De Telegraaf has led the coverage, not only scooping the Tsunoda-Lawson switch, but doing so with apparent insider knowledge that eclipses Red Bull’s own PR responses.

This is the second time in as many months that De Telegraaf has scooped the team on a highly sensitive matter. The first, and far more explosive, was its publication of the ongoing controversy surrounding Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and his personal assistant – a story that rocked the F1 world and dragged the team into a maelstrom of unwanted headlines.

At the time, the Dutch newspaper revealed key details of the internal investigation long before Red Bull Racing had a chance to control the narrative or issue a calm, factual statement. Now history seems to be repeating itself. Despite the importance of a mid-season driver change – and the financial implications of Honda’s involvement – Red Bull’s communications team appear to have been outmanoeuvred by the press once again.

These repeated leaks are beginning to raise fundamental questions about who controls the flow of information at Red Bull. In a sport where precision, secrecy and image management are paramount, Red Bull seems to be losing its ability to dictate the messaging around its most important internal matters. Whether these stories are being fed by insiders within the organisation, or are emerging through loose control of its global partnerships – particularly with stakeholders in Japan and the Netherlands – remains unclear.

What is becoming clearer, however, is the disconnect between Red Bull’s success on the track and the chaos off it. Despite leading the championship and having the most dominant car and driver combination in years, the team’s reputation is increasingly being defined not just by what it does on Sundays, but how it fails to control the narrative from Monday to Saturday.

The situation with Christian Horner has shown that even the most senior officials are not immune to these leaks. The Lawson-Tsunoda saga is another chapter in which not only a driver’s career, but also the operational integrity of a team is under scrutiny. There is a growing perception that Red Bull’s famous efficiency and unity may not extend beyond the garage and pit wall.

If Red Bull is to maintain its image as the standard-bearer of modern Formula One excellence, it may need to rethink its PR strategy – and fast. Whether that means tightening up its internal communications, re-evaluating its media relations or simply treating its drivers with more respect and transparency remains to be seen. But for now, it seems Red Bull is driving the fastest car on the grid while losing control of the narrative in the press room.

 

 

 

A bold move with financial and sporting stakes

With Lawson out and Tsunoda in, Red Bull are once again reminding the F1 world that sentimentality plays no part in their pursuit of excellence. This latest driver swap combines sporting ambition with commercial strategy – using Honda’s support to strengthen the team’s line-up and secure a financial boost in the process.

As F1 heads to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix, all eyes will be on Tsunoda in his new colours. For him, it’s the chance of a lifetime. For Red Bull, it’s another chapter in a long history of high-risk, high-reward decisions. And for Liam Lawson, it’s a stark reminder that in F1, opportunity can disappear as quickly as it arrives.