The decision to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull after just two races in 2025 hasn’t gone down too well with the F1 community. Even Max Verstappen has called out the team for demoting the New Zealander prematurely instead of focusing on fixing the drivability issues of their current car.
Verstappen made his feelings clear after liking an Instagram post by former F1 driver Geido van der Garde, who criticized the team for “bullying” a driver like Lawson without looking into their own shortcomings.
Now, team advisor Helmut Marko has fired back with his own comments regarding Verstappen‘s displeasure.
Verstappen isn’t happy about Lawson being dropped says Marko.
Marko says: “We know Max isn’t happy. But we need two cars at the front. Not only for the constructors’ championship, but also to help Max to his fifth world title” pic.twitter.com/QNnKhwiGsQ
— RomanianF1 (@romanianf1) March 29, 2025
“He (Verstappen) didn’t agree because he kept saying that the car was just so hard to drive,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
“That’s his opinion, and that’s a good thing. But our goal is the fifth world championship title, and there you need a second driver who is strategically in the area of the field, who brings you something and snatches points from the other drivers. You can’t become world champion as a one-man team,” added the 81-year-old.
Marko will now hope that Tsunoda can be that driver who can help take points away from McLaren, who have been in a class of their own so far.
Marko hoping Red Bull can bring in upgrades to challenge McLaren
McLaren’s current form reminds Marko of what Red Bull achieved in the record-breaking season in 2023. Red Bull won a whopping 21 out of 22 races that year, and the Austrian feels that the MCL39 is the most complete package on the grid to achieve similar feats.
“They [McLaren] are as we were in 2023. With a car that works in all conditions, in any weather and on any route,” he explained.
With McLaren having such a big advantage at the moment, Marko wants Red Bull to bring in upgrades to the RB21 that will help improve the drivability of the car and give their drivers a realistic chance to fight Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for wins this season.
“We need to bring updates quickly that work. Of course, they come in bursts, and if one part does not work, we have to improve it. To win the World Cup, however, these improvements must surely happen in the next five races, otherwise, it will be too late,” he concluded.
Naturally, this puts pressure on Tsunoda to hit the ground running with his debut at his home race in Japan. The team needs the #22 driver to be up there with the front-runners to provide cover for the #1 driver. Doing so will bolster Verstappen’s chances of fighting for his fifth consecutive title this season.
