Liam Lawson has admitted he was shocked to learn he was being demoted by Red Bull just two races into the 2025 season.
The Kiwi driver became the latest victim of the grid’s ruthless movement as team principal Christian Horner confirmed Lawson would be demoted from the senior team.
The 23-year-old will remain on the grid with Red Bull’s second team Racing Bulls, the team he started his F1 career with, while Yuki Tsunoda will partner with Max Verstappen.
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Lawson said the decision was “not something that I saw coming” so quickly.
“It was definitely a shock, honestly,” he told Sky Sports.
“The discussions we were having weren’t really leaning in this direction, so it was definitely not something that I expected.”
Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Oracle Red Bull Racing walks in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of China. Getty
The switch comes at a valuable time for Tsunoda as he will don the Red Bull uniform for the first time at his home race in Japan.
Tsunoda was originally overlooked for the seat as Horner favoured Lawson to be the replacement for Sergio Perez, who left the team at the end of 2024.
But a rocky start to the season saw Lawson fail to finish at the Australian Grand Prix before he missed an opportunity to score points in China, crossing in 19th.
Those results caused a difficult start to Red Bull’s hopes of a constructors’ championship as McLaren gained a strong early lead.
Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls with Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen Oracle Red Bull Racing. Getty Images for Oracle Red Bull
Still, given he has only featured on the grid 11 times, Lawson felt he would have been allowed more time to showcase his abilities.
“Obviously, I would have loved more time,” said Lawson.
“We had a rocky testing. We had a rocky first weekend in Melbourne with practice. And then obviously China was a sprint.
“But it is not my decision, so I’m here to make the most of this one.”
Lawson will feature for the first time this season in the Racing Bull when he completes the first practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday.
