Verstappen doubles down on Red Bull disagreement over Lawson’s axing

Max Verstappen believes Liam Lawson wasn’t given a fair chance at Red Bull when he was dropped after just two grand prix weekends.

That, says the four-time World Champion, could “ruin” a driver’s career.

Max Verstappen: ‘You ruin someone’s chances with a top team’

Lawson was promoted to Red Bull for the F1 2025 championship, given the nod ahead of Yuki Tsunoda with former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealing “the feeling within the team is that the trajectory Liam is on has more potential, which is why we’ve taken that route”.

But just two rounds into the season, Lawson was demoted back to Racing Bulls after failing to make it out of Q1 in three attempts.

Verstappen made his thoughts clear when he liked a post on Instagram from former Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde, who described Red Bull’s decision as “close to bullying”.

Asked about that, the four-time World Champion told the media in Japan: “I liked the comment, the text, so I guess that speaks for itself, right?”

Former Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko conceded at the time that Verstappen didn’t agree with Red Bull’s decision.

“We know Max is not happy. But we need two cars at the front. Not only for the Constructors’ Championship, but also to help Max get his fifth World title,” the Austrian told De Telegraaf.

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But swapping out Lawson for Tsunoda, Red Bull’s results were not boosted as the Japanese driver managed just 30 points in 22 grand prix weekends, ending 391 down on Verstappen’s 421.

As for Lawson, while it took him a few races to find his feet again at Racing Bulls, he bounced back to score 38 points, including a career high of P5 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where he beat Tsunoda to the chequered flag.

Despite Lawson rebounding, his Red Bull axing is still a decision that doesn’t sit well with Verstappen.

“Two races next to one teammate, I didn’t agree with that at the time,” the 28-year-old told Viaplay. “In the end, you ruin someone’s chances with a top team.”

“I think Lawson has recovered well,” he continued. “He could also have thought: ‘Never mind, the fun is gone.’

“In any case, two races is far too early to make a judgment.”

Lawson will continue at Racing Bulls next season while Verstappen will have yet another new teammate at Red Bull with Isack Hadjar promoted. As for Tsunoda, he has been announced as Red Bull’s reserve driver.

Quizzed on why his teammates, and most recently Tsunoda, struggle to match his pace, Verstappen puts it down to setup and a feel for the car.

“They try to use my setup,” Verstappen said. “But in the end, every driver has his own driving style. At some point, of course, you grow together, especially in the second half of the season. We often drove according to the same philosophy, but I had a little more understeer than Yuki.”

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