Lawson concedes: Red Bull's decision to demote was a 'shock'

13:51, 02 Apr

Updated: 14:05, 02 Apr

byToby Nixon

Liam Lawson has revealed that Red Bull's decision to demote him was a 'shock', admitting that he would have 'loved' more time to get used to the tricky RB21.

Lawson spent just two race weekends as a Red Bull driver in 2025 before former teammate Yuki Tsunoda demoted him from his position before the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

He struggled in the short period he spent with the Milton Keynes-based team. The New Zealander was eliminated in Q1 at Albert Park, before crashing out of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in difficult conditions. Lawson finished the Chinese Grand Prix weekend without points, too. He finished 14th in the sprint. In the race, post-race disqualifications lifted him to 12th. Meanwhile, teammate Max Verstappen picked up another decent haul of points which left him second in the championship.

"It was definitely a shock, honestly. It's not something that I saw coming," Lawson told Sky Sports in Japan on Wednesday.

"The discussions we were having as well, I think, weren't really leaning in this direction, so it was definitely not something that I sort of expected."

Lawson: "I would've loved more time"

Although the performances weren't close to Verstappen's, Lawson explained that he would have appreciated more opportunities. "Obviously, I would have loved more time. And I felt like with more time, especially going to places that I'd been before… it was a tough start. We had a rocky test. We had a rocky first weekend in Melbourne with practice. And then obviously China was a Sprint.

"I think going to places that I'd been before with the way the car was quite tricky, I think that would have helped and I would have loved that opportunity. But obviously, it's not my decision, so I'm here to make the most of this one."

The Kiwi returns to action with Racing Bulls this weekend at Suzuka. All eyes will be on replacement Yuki Tsunoda as he aims to perform in Red Bull's notoriously difficult 2025 challenger.