“I didn’t see it coming” Lawson opens up about sacking – In a sudden twist that has stunned the Formula One paddock, Liam Lawson has found himself without a Red Bull Racing seat after just two races of the 2025 season. Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the young New Zealander revealed his surprise and disappointment at what he described as an unexpected and shocking decision.
Having been thrust into one of the most competitive line-ups in the sport, alongside reigning world champion Max Verstappen, Lawson admitted that his short-lived promotion had come to an end far sooner than he had ever expected.
The unexpected cut
Lawson’s removal from the Red Bull line-up comes after two tough race weekends in Australia and China. His performances in the RB21, Red Bull’s notoriously unforgiving machine, didn’t live up to expectations – yet the 23-year-old insisted that the decision took him by surprise.
“It was definitely a shock to be honest,” said Lawson in an interview with Sky Sports F1. “I didn’t see it coming.”
According to Lawson, there was no clear indication during internal team discussions that his position was in jeopardy. The conversations he had with Red Bull management never hinted at an imminent change, making the abrupt demotion all the more difficult to process.
“The discussions we had weren’t really going in that direction,” Lawson continued. “So it was definitely not something I was expecting.”
Time wasn’t on his side
Lawson pointed to the limited amount of track time he had to adapt to the car as a major factor behind his underwhelming results. Despite his natural driving talent and previous success as a substitute driver for AlphaTauri (now VCARB), Lawson struggled to quickly get to grips with the nuances of the RB21.
“With more time, especially on tracks I’ve been on before,” he insisted, “I think I would have settled in better.”
Lawson detailed the challenges of his short stint: a troubled pre-season test, a difficult opening weekend in Melbourne and a high-pressure sprint format in China – none of which gave him the continuity he needed.
“The car is difficult to drive,” he admitted. “But we have gone through an adjustment process. For me, honestly, it’s a question of time. The biggest factor was the lack of time in the car. With every session we drove, we had to get used to something different.”
According to Lawson, the challenge wasn’t one of pace or potential, but of sheer experience and familiarity with Red Bull’s unique machinery.
“It’s not so much about the driving style or anything like that. It’s just a literal adaptation. And I just didn’t have the time to do it.”
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Tsunoda returns as Red Bull move quickly
Following Lawson’s struggles in Australia and China, Red Bull moved swiftly to make a change and reinstated Yuki Tsunoda to the senior team ahead of its home race in Japan. It was a decision that raised eyebrows, not only because of its timing, but because of Red Bull’s history of being quick to judge young drivers.
“It has been difficult to watch Liam struggle with the RB21 in the first two races,” explained team principal Christian Horner in a team statement. “That’s why we took the collective decision to make an early change.”
While Horner insisted it was a “purely sporting decision”, the speed with which it was made – after just two Grand Prix weekends – left many wondering if Red Bull had set Lawson up for failure.
Red Bull’s history of early promotion
Lawson’s rapid rise and equally swift fall is not a new story within the Red Bull driver program. In recent years the team has developed a reputation for pushing young drivers into senior roles before they’re ready, often with mixed results.
In his candid interview, Horner acknowledged this trend.
“You could say we have sometimes promoted drivers too early in recent times,” he told Sky Sports F1. “We’ve asked for too much too soon.”
The examples are well documented. Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly and even Daniil Kvyat were all fast-tracked into Red Bull Racing with limited experience, only to be unceremoniously dropped when results didn’t come fast enough. Like Lawson, they were caught in the vortex of Red Bull’s high expectations and rapid turnover.
Horner specifically mentioned Gasly and Albon, who both struggled in the Red Bull spotlight after just one full season in F1. The common thread is clear: immense pressure, minimal patience and a relentless learning curve.
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Why Red Bull pulled the plug
Despite Lawson’s raw talent and previous flashes of brilliance, Red Bull’s data-driven approach and relentless pursuit of performance left little room for leniency.
“After everything we saw in Australia and China, it was clear that Liam had taken a pretty big hit,” said Horner. “Even the engineers approached me with concern because they saw how much he was struggling.”
Horner described breaking the news to Lawson as “horrible” and admitted it was one of the hardest parts of his job.
“You’re taking away someone’s hopes and dreams,” he said. “But sometimes you have to be tough to help someone in the end.”
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The door isn’t closed – but the road back is narrow
Although Lawson is now on the outside looking in, Horner insisted that the Red Bull door has not been slammed shut.
“I don’t think this is the end for Liam. I’ve made that very clear to him,” said Horner. “The door to the future is not closed at all.”
However, history suggests that a return won’t be easy. No driver demoted by Red Bull Racing has ever reclaimed a seat in the senior team. Gasly and Albon found redemption with other teams, but Red Bull itself hasn’t historically offered second chances.
Lawson’s future remains uncertain. He could continue with VCARB, or perhaps seek opportunities elsewhere on the grid. But with Tsunoda now occupying the second seat at Red Bull, and Daniel Ricciardo still being talked about for future roles, albeit by Horner only, the competition for a top driver within the Red Bull camp is as fierce as ever.
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For the first time since Adrian Newey joined Red Bull the year of its inception, the Milton Keynes based Formula One team have designed a car without input from the guru engineer. Having announced he was leaving Red Bull and taking a sabbatical, within weeks the call of team ownership and a huge dollop of cash and Newey was signed to Aston Martin.
Adrian had not been the technical director of Red Bull Racing since resigning the position back in 2018, when Frenchman Pierre Wache was placed in charge of the day to day technical operations of the team. Newey worked part time and gave input into design issues, as and when, which led to Christian Horner to emphasise on more than one occasion during their dominant 2023 campaign, that Newey was not purely responsible for creating and developing thre Red Bull F1 cars.
“Adrian is a big part of the team and our achieved performance. But of course his role has evolved over the years and the technical team under him, led by Pierre Wache, is doing a great job. They are not dependent on Adrian,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner to AMuS in 2023. “Adrian has the ability to come in, go out and work on other projects. I think that’s part of the evolution of any team.”… READ MORE ON THIS STORY
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