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Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motorsport advisor, has admitted that the team may have "made a mistake" in how they handled Liam Lawson’s promotion and subsequent demotion after just two races in the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Liam Lawson was promoted to Red Bull’s main team to partner with Max Verstappen following Sergio Perez’s exit. However, after disappointing performances in the opening two races of the season in Australia and China, Lawson was swiftly dropped and sent back to Red Bull’s junior team, Racing Bulls, in a swap with Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Marko acknowledged that the situation may have been mishandled. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said, “His performance was unfortunately not good enough, and that comes from self-confidence. We were worried that his confidence was so damaged that he couldn’t bring his normal performance.”
Tsunoda’s Return and Red Bull’s Uncertain Strategy
The decision to replace Lawson with Tsunoda has raised questions about Red Bull’s long-term strategy. At the end of the 2024 season, Red Bull chose Lawson over Tsunoda for the 2025 campaign, only to reverse that decision after just two races. Marko justified the reversal by highlighting Tsunoda’s notable improvement.
“It's strange—after four years, now in his fifth year, he has a much stronger personality,” Marko explained. “He did two very good races, but his strategy didn’t work at Racing Bulls.”
Criticism Mounts Over Red Bull’s Handling of Young Drivers
Critics have been quite vocal about Red Bull's hasty decision-making process. Most former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde described it as a “panic move”, an impression that was seemingly shared by Red Bull's chief driver Max Verstappen, as he liked van der Garde's Instagram post that criticized the decision.
Marko continues to insist that the return of Lawson to Racing Bulls is actually "not a demotion" and that he would still see some future in Formula 1. However, history suggests otherwise. Like Gasly and Albon, who also found themselves demoted to the junior team due to their inability to perform at Red Bull, neither was able to regain a seat at the main team.
Perez leaves and Red Bull lose the opportunity to have Sainz This is not the first time Red Bull's driver choices have been put under the microscope. Red Bull extended Sergio Perez's contract until the end of 2026, despite his variable performances, last year. They chose not to sign Carlos Sainz, who became a free agent after Ferrari signed Lewis Hamilton for 2025. Although Perez started strongly at the start of 2024, he faded later in the year, prompting Red Bull to sever ties and give Lawson a chance. That decision too has been overturned just two races later.
Lawson's Future Is Not Clear The future according to Marko is that Lawson's demotion is only temporary and he probably has a future in Formula 1, but so far the indication is that this young New Zealander will have to work exceptionally hard to reclaim a spot in Red Bull's senior lineup.
The saga has now continued for Red Bull concerning its driver, but many questions are left to be answered in such a case as to what criteria the team is going to use to strategize and work out its young talents. It would be interesting to see if Lawson follows the Gasly-Albon model and rebuilds his career.
