Formula 1
Max Verstappen ‘Angry’ At Red Bull Over Plans To Replace Teammate Liam Lawson
Kieran Lynch is a sports writer specialising in football and Formula One. He is a sports journalism graduate of Leeds Trinity University and completed a Press Association NCTJ course in Newcastle. He previously worked as a news reporter for the Eastern Daily Press in Norfolk and spent five years as a sports writer at the MailOnline.
Get to know Kieran Lynch betterPublished26 Mar 2025
Max Verstappen is reportedly angry with his own Red Bull team over plans to replace teammate Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda.
Lawson was awarded the second Red Bull seat over Yuki Tsunoda for the 2025 season, replacing Mexican driver Sergio Perez.
The New Zealander though has had a disastrous start to his career at Red Bull.
He has failed to get out of Q1 in the first three qualifying sessions of the year. His race pace has also been significantly down on Verstappen.
Hopes were high for Lawson but the 23-year-old has failed to score any points for Red Bull.
De Telegraaf have reported that a decision has already been made to replace Lawson with Tsunoda for the latter’s home race at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen ‘Angry’ Over Liam Lawson And Yuki Tsunoda Swap
De Telegraaf have also reported that Max Verstappen is not happy with Red Bull’s plans to swap Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda.
“The Dutchman believes the engineers have a duty to build a racing car that can be driven to the limit by more than just the four-time world champion,” the report states.
Verstappen reportedly also has concerns that the decision could ‘ruin‘ Lawson’s career.
The decision is particularly brutal given that Lawson has only been in the Red Bull for two races.
Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez all struggled against Verstappen but were given more time.
Verstappen defended Lawson after the Chinese Grand Prix insisting the Red Bull is a more difficult car to drive than the Racing Bulls sister team which currently consists of Tsunoda and rookie Isack Hadjar.
Why Did Red Bull Choose Liam Lawson Over Yuki Tsunoda?
If Red Bull are to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda, questions will be asked over why Red Bull chose the New Zealander over the more experienced Japanese F1 driver in the first place.
The pair were teammates for 13 races across the 2023 and 2024 F1 seasons. Tsunoda out-qualified Lawson 4-2 in 2023 and 7-2 in 2024.
In races, Tsunoda has been ahead six times against Lawson’s four when both have finished.
However, as per the BBC, Red Bull chose Lawson on the basis they believed Tsunoda didn’t have the ‘mental toughness to survive’ alongside Verstappen.
They also felt Lawson had more potential to improve. However, it appears Red Bull won’t give Lawson the time to show that potential.
Yuki Tsunoda will swap seats with Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen's teammate for next week's Japanese Grand Prix after a Red Bull meeting in Dubai, according to multiple reports.
They said an official announcement was expected later in the week. pic.twitter.com/reboclA7zy
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 25, 2025
Will Red Bull Sack Liam Lawson?
Given all the reports, it appears likely that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson from the Japanese Grand Prix.
It is just a matter of when the decision will be announced.
However, it is unlikely Red Bull will sack Lawson. History shows they would place him back in the Racing Bulls team alongside Isack Hadjar.
He would join Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly were both promoted and then demoted from the Red Bull team.
For a list of 10 F1 drivers who were replaced mid-season click here.