Liam Lawson expressed his shock at being removed from his Red Bull seat. Team boss Christian Horner described the choice as “horrible” and explained the reasons behind it.
Red Bull made a surprising move last week, replacing Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda from their junior team, Racing Bulls. This happened just two races into Lawson`s first season with the main team, and Tsunoda was promoted before his home race in Japan this weekend.
This decision came just over three months after Lawson was chosen over Tsunoda to partner Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion. This initial selection followed what were considered weak performances from the New Zealander in races in Australia and China.
Speaking in Tokyo on Wednesday, Lawson said, “It was definitely a shock, honestly. I did not see it coming.”
“The discussions we were having didn`t suggest this was going to happen, so it was unexpected.”
Red Bull is known for making quick changes to their driver lineup during the season, but this latest switch is seen as unusually fast.
While Lawson struggled in the first two races, these were at tracks where he lacked experience. Many people in Formula 1 were surprised that Red Bull didn`t wait to see how he would perform at a track he knew better, like Suzuka.
Asked if he was frustrated by the limited time he was given, Lawson admitted, “Honestly, yes. I would have liked more time.”
“I felt like with more time, especially at tracks I knew… it was a difficult start. Testing was rough, and the first weekend in Melbourne was challenging in practice. Then China was a Sprint race.”
“I think going to familiar tracks with the car being tricky would have helped, and I would have welcomed that chance. But it`s not my call, so I`m here to make the best of this situation.”
Horner: We Asked Too Much of Lawson Too Soon
While this demotion is undoubtedly a setback for Lawson, it`s also an awkward situation for Horner and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who have the final say on driver choices.
Lawson had only participated in 11 Grands Prix in total when he was picked over Tsunoda.
Horner took responsibility for pushing the 23-year-old too quickly. Speaking also on Wednesday, Horner said, “Of course, it`s horrible because you`re taking away someone`s dreams, but sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. This isn`t the end for Liam.”
“I made it clear to him that this is based on a small sample of two races. I think we asked too much of him too quickly.”
“We need to acknowledge that we expected too much too soon. This is about allowing him to develop his talent in the Racing Bulls seat while giving Yuki an opportunity and using his experience.”
Red Bull`s car seems difficult to handle at the start of this season. Verstappen has faced challenges, finishing second in Australia and fourth in China.
Horner explained that a key factor in promoting the more experienced Tsunoda was the team`s need to quickly improve the RB21 car. Tsunoda has four full seasons of F1 experience.
“We have work to do on the car,” Horner stated. “We need to make it better and use Yuki`s experience.”
“In the meantime, Liam needs to rebuild his confidence at Racing Bulls, in a familiar environment with less pressure than Red Bull Racing.”
Engineers Concerned About Lawson
Horner indicated that concerns from engineers about Lawson`s mental state also influenced the decision. He noted they were worried Lawson was struggling significantly with the pressure.
“With what we saw in Australia and China, it was clear it was affecting Liam quite badly,” Horner said.
“We could have waited, and perhaps Liam, who has talent, would have improved over half a season. But we don`t have that much time.”
“The engineering team was very concerned about how much Liam was struggling and the pressure he was under.”
“The engineers expressed their concerns to me, and ultimately, it seemed the logical step to take.”
Lawson insists that his driving style wasn`t the reason for his struggles with the RB21, but rather he simply needed more time to adapt.
“For me, it`s not about the car being inherently difficult to drive. We were in the process of adjusting,” Lawson explained.
“For me, it`s really about time. In Formula 1 testing, you drive all day and have plenty of time to adjust. The biggest challenge for me was the lack of time in the car to adjust.”
“Each session, we were going out and trying to adjust to something slightly new. It wasn`t about a specific driving style issue, but just needing time to adapt, which I didn`t have.”
Verstappen Surprised by Speed of Decision
There was speculation that Verstappen was unhappy about the situation because his social media account liked a post criticizing Red Bull.
Despite ongoing rumors about Verstappen`s future with the team and interest from Mercedes and Aston Martin, Horner downplayed any impact on Verstappen.
“I think he was surprised by the speed of the decision. But he also saw Liam was struggling,” Horner said.
“He knows where we need to improve the car and is working hard with the engineers.”
“We had a productive session last week where he was very focused on improving the car and finding the small improvements needed to compete with McLaren.”
Verstappen is expected to share his thoughts on the situation during media interviews on Thursday before the Japanese Grand Prix.
