Verstappen disagreed with Red Bull’s Lawson decision

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed Max Verstappen disagreed with Red Bull swapping Liam Lawson for Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda just two rounds into the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Red Bull made the call after Lawson failed to perform at both Albert Park and Shanghai, with him placing last in both qualifying sessions at the Chinese Grand Prix a fateful lowlight.

Eagle-eyed observers may have caught a discreet glimpse of Verstappen’s opinion on the matter in the form of an Instagram post by former F1 racer Giedo van der Garde, which was liked by several current drivers – including the four-time world champion.

“I’m getting a bit tired of all the comments that F1 is the toughest sport in terms of performances and when you’re underdeliver [sic] you’ve gotta face the consequences,” van der Garde wrote.

“Yes, you gotta perform. Yes, the pressure is insane. But in my opinion this comes closer to bullying or a panic move than actual high athlete achievements. They made a decision – fully aware – gave Liam two races only to crush his spirit.”

The like suggested Verstappen would have preferred to continue with Lawson and, asked by Autosport’s sister publication Formel1.de in an exclusive interview whether this is a fair conclusion, Marko confirmed: “That conclusion is correct, and he did express that. But we explained to Max that, in order to win the championship, we have to do everything we can to have two cars in the top 10.”

Red Bull’s second car has been a more visible weakness since the team lost its advantage at the front of the field.

Verstappen single-handedly earned his fourth world title in 2024 as Sergio Perez spent just 91 out of 1113 racing laps in the top five positions over the last 18 rounds of the season – with no actual top-five finish to his name over that period – which likely cost the team a third successive constructors’ crown.

Still, Verstappen did make a case for his New Zealand team-mate as Red Bull pondered its options.

“Max argued that the car is very difficult to drive and that, if the car were better, Lawson’s performance would improve as well,” Marko explained. “Of course, we’re working on further development but, at the moment, it’s hard to predict how quickly that will come.”

Red Bull has a reputation for ruthlessness with its drivers, with many having been demoted from the main team to the sister squad or let go from either over the past two decades.

Lawson was Verstappen’s fourth team-mate since Daniel Ricciardo – still the last driver to match the Dutchman in equal machinery – left the squad at the end of 2018, after Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Perez all struggled to various extents.

However, Marko is keen to argue that wording this decision as a ‘demotion’ is inaccurate.

“First of all, he’s not being demoted – he’s moving to Racing Bulls, which is a very competitive car and much easier to handle than the RB21,” the Austrian insisted.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“The change happened after a start that I’d say was rather unfortunate. The third practice session in Australia was cancelled [Lawson was unable to set a lap amid hydraulics woe], and that’s where the problems began. That naturally affected Liam’s confidence.

“Unfortunately, things continued in China, which also had a sprint race – so again, only one practice session. And, at the same time, we have to acknowledge that the RB21 is difficult to drive. It’s not the fastest car, and the gap in performance just kept growing.

“But back to the topic of being ‘demoted’: we mentioned Gasly. He later came back into strong form and is now a very successful grand prix driver with Alpine. The same applies to Albon. Everyone had the same fate next to Max, but they bounced back and found their form again in a less competitive environment.”

Lawson will at least get a chance to regroup and put his F1 career back on track in the Racing Bulls surroundings where, in 2024, he shone enough to gain that Red Bull promotion over Tsunoda in the first place.

Although there was speculation regarding Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto – most likely initiated by the Argentinian driver’s camp – with Marko’s visit to the Alpine hospitality in China fuelling rumours, the latter said he was actually discussing Red Bull juniors with Hitech Grand Prix founder and Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes.

“I have a good relationship with Ollie Oakes,” Marko said. “He has regularly run some of our drivers in his various teams across the junior categories. One of his drivers is currently racing in British [F4], for example. That was the reason I met with him. Colapinto wasn’t a topic.”