Max Verstappen ‘not happy’ with Red Bull's Liam Lawson decision
Red Bull's decision to demote Liam Lawson has supposedly left Max Verstappen unhappy.
Max Verstappen is apparently disgruntled with Red Bull’s decision to axe Liam Lawson just two races into the 2025 F1 season.
Following a disastrous start to his Red Bull career, Lawson has been demoted back into a Racing Bulls seat, with Yuki Tsunoda heading the other way in a promotion.
Tsunoda will drive for Red Bull at his home race - next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix - and become Verstappen’s fifth different teammate since the end of 2018.
Lawson, who is yet to score a point and has been dumped out in Q1 in all three qualifying sessions to have taken place this year, will to Red Bull’s sister team alongside French rookie Isack Hadjar.
But according to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Red Bull’s brutal decision has left Verstappen frustrated.
“One can guess what Verstappen himself thinks of the decision of Red Bull's management to victimise Liam Lawson after only two races in favour of Yuki Tsunoda,” the report states.
“The Limburger [referring to the region Verstappen is from] also disagrees with the team management's decision to intervene so soon.”
Liam Lawson’s fate sealed after rough start
Lawson qualified 18th at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and crashed out of his debut race in wet conditions.
The 23-year-old Kiwi then qualified last for both the sprint and grand prix, finishing the two races 14th and 12th.
Verstappen has been supportive of Lawson amid his early Red Bull woes, insisting: “That Racing Bulls car is easier to drive than ours. I notice that when I talk to Liam.
“Last year the difference between him and Yuki wasn't that big, I thought. Otherwise the team wouldn't have made the choice to put Liam in at Red Bull.”
The brutal decision was reportedly reached by Red Bull bosses, including team principal Christian Horner, at a crunch meeting in Dubai on Monday at the home of major shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya.
The Milton Keynes-based squad sit third in the constructors’ championship standings and are already 42 points down on McLaren, who have won the opening two races of the season.
Verstappen is just eight points behind early championship leader Lando Norris despite Red Bull’s troubles with their RB21.
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