Qualifying dead last and not scoring points for a top F1 team should warrant a demotion in this cutthroat sport. But only after two Grand Prix weekends? Surely not. Red Bull has invited a barrage of criticism for replacing Liam Lawson after only two rounds of the 2025 season, even though they were the ones who backed him and gave him a seat just three months ago.
Yuki Tsunoda—who missed out on the promotion previously—will take the New Zealander’s place at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen from the Japanese Grand Prix onward. While Tsunoda is quite happy about this opportunity, not everyone has been welcoming of Red Bull’s decision to demote Lawson to their sister team, RB, so quickly.
Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde posted on Instagram about how the Austrian outfit have crushed the 23-year-old’s spirit by not giving him a fair chance to prove his mettle. In fact, his detailed post on Instagram was liked by Verstappen himself, along with other drivers like Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg.
Knowing the kind of effort Lawson would’ve taken to get to this stage in F1, they perhaps understand how painful it would be for him to swallow this bitter pill right now. Regardless, he has the support of many, including the reigning champion’s father, Jos Verstappen, who has commented on RB’s post that confirms that Lawson will be driving for them.
“I really hope to go do a fantastic job. He deserves to be in F1,” Jos wrote. At a time when the Kiwi is facing abuse on social media, with fans crossing all sorts of lines to demean him, such encouraging words from an F1 veteran like Jos would go a long way for Lawson.
View this post on Instagram
Verstappen Sr. has been quite vocal about Red Bull’s mistakes for the past year or so—be it criticizing Christian Horner amid his controversy or the team’s technical honchos not getting their act together with the car. This time around, supporting Lawson seems like a natural move by the former Benetton driver.
In his latest Instagram post, though, Lawson hasn’t given any excuse or justification about why he failed at Red Bull. He has been consistent in his claims that he made during the Australian and Chinese GP weekends: he wasn’t driving fast enough.
Where does Lawson stand?
While Lawson knows how the perception around him has been quite negative since he replaced Daniel Ricciardo last season, he isn’t focusing on acknowledging that and is grateful that he at least got a chance to drive for Red Bull.
“Being a Red Bull Racing driver has been my dream since I was a kid, it’s what I’ve worked towards my whole life. It’s tough, but I’m grateful for everything that’s brought me to this point. To every one of you who’s stood by me, thank you for all the support it means the world,” he wrote.
Even though it will be a gutting blow for Lawson to head back to RB and rebuild his confidence, he seems keen to capitalize on that opportunity. After all, there were rumors that Red Bull may drop him entirely from their roster during the past week.
View this post on Instagram
Thankfully, Lawson has the chance to prove that he is quick enough during his stint with the Faenza-based outfit in the remainder of the 2025 campaign. He stands in a similar place to where Pierre Gasly was in mid-2019 when Red Bull dropped him halfway through the season.
Given the way the Frenchman gained back his mojo post that demotion and even won a Grand Prix with Red Bull’s sister team itself shows that sporting comebacks can happen for anybody gritty enough to pursue them.
Will Lawson ever have a redemption arc like Gasly or Alex Albon, who made it back to F1 despite being demoted to a reserve at Red Bull? Only time will tell. For now, the Kiwi driver needs to focus on himself and retain his mental robustness to silence all the noise and criticism around him.
