Five of the shortest F1 driver stints after Liam Lawson downfall
Following Liam Lawson's brutal Red Bull demotion, which drivers had the shortest stints in F1?
Red Bull have made one of the most ruthless moves in F1 history by demoting Liam Lawson after just two races.
Following a horrendous start to the 2025 season, and having failed to score a point for Red Bull or advance from the first part of three qualifying sessions, Lawson has been brutally axed with immediate effect.
Yuki Tsunoda has been promoted from the Japanese Grand Prix to replace Lawson, who will return to Racing Bulls - Red Bull’s sister team.
Lawson’s time at Red Bull will go down as one of the shortest-ever spells in F1. Here are some other drivers who had fleeting cameos with a team.
Andre Lotterer - One race for Caterham
Andre Lotterer famously has the shortest grand prix career of any driver in F1 history.
In 2014, Lotterer replaced Kamui Koboyashi at Caterham for the Belgian Grand Prix.
The German’s grand prix debut was prematurely cut short because of a fault with his car which forced him to retire on the second lap.
Lotterer never raced in F1 again but he is a two-time World Endurance Champion and three-time winner of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Markus Winkelhock - One race for Spyker
Another driver who contested just a single F1 race was Markus Winkelhock.
Winkelhock took part in one race for Spyker following Christijan Albers’ departure from the team in 2007.
Winkelhock briefly had the honour of leading on his debut at the European Grand Prix after gambling for wet-weather tyres before a rain shower hit, but would retire on lap 15 after a hydraulic failure.
Luca Badoer - Two races for Ferrari
Selected as the injured Felipe Massa’s replacement, Luca Badoer lasted just two races at Ferrari in 2009 before getting the boot.
Badoer, who became the butt of the Tifosi’s jokes due to his woeful performances, finished second last in the European Grand Prix and last in the Belgian Grand Prix - which was won by Kimi Räikkönen in the other Ferrari.
The Italian was subsequently replaced by fellow countryman Giancarlo Fisichella for the rest of the season.
Yuki Ide - Four races for Super Aguri
At age 31, Yuki Ide become one of F1’s oldest rookies when he landed a seat at Super Aguri for the 2006 campaign.
But Ide proved to be a disastrous liability. He recorded just one finish - 13th in Australia, where he ended up two laps down after several spins.
Ide lasted just four races before being dumped by Super Aguri, while his adaptation was so bad he even had his FIA super licence revoked.
Nyck de Vries - 10 races for AlphaTauri
Another victim of Red Bull’s ruthless ways was Nyck de Vries.
Red Bull signed De Vries following an impressive points-scoring debut with Williams as a last-minute stand-in for Alex Albon at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.
De Vries was placed at Red Bull’s sister team but lasted only 10 races into the 2023 season before the Dutchman was replaced at AlphaTauri by Daniel Ricciardo.
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