New Zealand media fumes over Red Bull's Lawson decision

Just two race weekends in the job having taken over from Sergio Perez after the Mexican's own struggles, it seems as though Christian Horner, Helmut Marko and the rest of the team's hierarchy have pulled the trigger, swapping Lawson for Tsunoda.

Media in Lawson's home country has not reacted well, with the New Zealand Herald taking aim at Red Bull for their handling of the driver.

In an article - written before the news dropped that a swap would take place - the Herald suggested he was not fully to blame for his shaky start to the year.

Enormous risks

"It is Red Bull and not the 23-year-old Lawson who should shoulder the blame for the situation," the article reads. "How could they not see the enormous risks in signing him for 2025 when he had just 11 grands prix over two seasons at their junior team under his belt?

"It is almost unfathomable. Even Verstappen, one of F1’s greatest-ever drivers and one of the most naturally talented men to ever grasp a wheel, had twice the experience of Lawson when he was promoted in 2016. Red Bull might be one of the most successful teams in F1 history and Horner and Helmut Marko, who oversees the young driver programme, deserve credit for that. But signing Lawson is not the decision of a serious racing team."

The Herald points out that Lawson lost time in the car both in pre-season testing and in practice at the Australian Grand Prix through mechanical issues that were not his fault, before being afforded just one practice session in China by virtue of the event being a sprint weekend.

Suggesting Red Bull will find itself in a similar situation again, the article read: "Lawson has been open, accountable and honest about his performances so far. Whatever his fate, it is unlikely we will see the same accountability from Red Bull’s leadership."

This article was written in collaboration with Cas van de Kleut.