Liam Lawson Gets Dropped At Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda Announced As Max Verstappen's New F1 Teammate

Red Bull racer Liam Lawson gets dropped after a slew of poor performances. The 24-year-old New Zealander failed to impress the team with his performance with the RB21 at the Australian and Chinese GP. Lawson, who was brought in as Sergio Perez's replacement, will be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda. He will be Max Verstappen's new teammate.

Liam Lawson Dropped To Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda To Team Up With Max Verstappen?

The Formula One 2025 season saw several rookie drivers earning their spots on the teams, with prospects like Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Ollie Bearman, Liam Lawson and more steering their way into the competition. Lawson, the 25-year-old from New Zealand, earned the opportunity to be a part of the prestigious Red Bull Racing and team up with the reigning drivers champion, Max Verstappen. However, Lawson's run survived only two races, and the team management pulled him back after his poor performance. 

Red Bull Racing has named Yuki Tsunoda as a replacement, and he will be teaming up with Max Verstappen for the rest of the season. Lawson, on the other hand, has been demoted to Red Bull's second team Racing Bulls where he will team up alongside Isack Hadjar.

Also Read: Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc And Pierre Gasly Disqualified From Chinese Grand Prix Following Technical Breaches

It Was Difficult For Liam Lawson In Red Bull Racing 

Liam Lawson had a difficult start to his full-time F1 career after being a part of Red Bull Racing. The 25-year-old failed to score any points in the two Formula One races so far and failed to score any points. The rookie driver suffered a crash in Melbourne and couldn't complete his race while in Shanghai, he qualified in the last place at the sprint race as well as the main race. Team Principal Christian Horner acknowledged Liam's struggles with the RB21 and said that it was a sporting decision to replace him with Tsunoda.

“It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the (car) at the first two races and as a result, we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch. We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the world drivers’ championship and to reclaim the world constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision,” Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner said in a statement.

Yuki Tsunoda will be marking his homecoming at the Suzuka Circuit by teaming up with Red Bull Racing at the Japanese GP in April 2025. 

Also Read: Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris Make It A McLaren 1-2 As Aussie Driver Converts First Pole To Race Win Chinese Grand Prix