Doornbos agrees that Lawson's move was a "decision that had to be made"
F1 News
Former Red Bull Racing driver Robert Doorbos has backed the Austrian team for the decision made surrounding Liam Lawson, saying it was a "decision that had to be made.
As a result of the New Zealander's sacking from Red Bull, the Dutchman no longer holds the remarkable statistic of being the F1 driver with the fewest starts for Red Bull Racing, with that now belonging to Lawson.
The 23-year-old has been officially replaced by Red Bull with immediate effect, and he will now be a part of the Racing Bulls team from the Japanese Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda stepping up to take Lawson's place after originally being overlooked by the Austrian team before the 2025 season got underway.
Lawson complimented by Doorbos despite agreeing with Red Bull
In a post on Instagram, Doornbos addressed the Lawson-Tsunoda saga with a joke, saying, "Mate, I have only done three races for Red Bull Racing, so I beat you." Judging by the smiley faces, it was clearly a joke from the now Dubai-based former driver.
However, Doorbos continues on, taking the opportunity to give Lawson a word of encouragement: "Kepp your head up. You're a very fast and talented driver who did extremely well in all categories, and even your F1 debut races for AlphaTauri in 2023 were impressive! Scoring points in difficult conditions, like Singapore," Doornbos wrote.
But, although he had positives for Lawson, he believes that Red Bull came to the right decision: "This is all part of the game. It is a tough pill to swallow, but in the end, it is purely a sporting decision that has to be taken."
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This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen
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