Criticism from New Zealand on Liam Lawson – Yuki Tsunoda swap: “Red Bull is not a serious team”. The media in New Zealand have made strong accusations against Red Bull.

Another Swap
The Japanese Grand Prix will take place with Yuki Tsunoda behind the wheel of the Red Bull, which after just two races has decided not to continue with Liam Lawson. For the Anglo-Austrian team, this is yet another change in its history, many of which occurred before the season even concluded. These decisions are not at all appreciated by fans and drivers, starting with Lawson’s former teammate Max Verstappen, who liked a post by Van der Garde, who called this swap “bullying.”

Lawson Defended by New Zealand
The official return of Lawson to Racing Bulls has inevitably enraged the 23-year-old’s fans, as well as the New Zealand media, who have attacked the drastic decision made by Red Bull. Among them is The New Zealand Herald, which, through the words of Luke Slater, commented on the situation: “It is Red Bull, not 23-year-old Liam Lawson, that should be held responsible for the situation – he said – how can you not see the huge risks that his recruitment represented for 2025, when he had only raced 11 Grands Prix in two seasons with their junior team? It’s almost inconceivable. Even Verstappen, one of the greatest F1 drivers and one of the most naturally talented men to ever hold a steering wheel, had double the experience of Lawson when he was promoted in 2016. Red Bull is perhaps one of the most successful teams in F1 history, and Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, who oversee the young driver program, deserve this, but hiring Lawson was not a decision made by a serious motorsport team.”

An Opportunity for Redemption
A rather harsh accusation came from Bob McMurray, former team principal of McLaren and now an analyst: “Liam Lawson drives for one of the most ruthless teams in Formula 1 when it comes to driver management – he added – he has a kind of sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Like a poisoned chalice, with Helmut Marko as the leader, who doesn’t easily tolerate failure. I think they’ve gotten themselves into an absurd situation, and I believe the blame is entirely Red Bull’s, not Liam’s. It is well known that the car is hard to drive.” However, in an interview with 1News, the New Zealander also highlighted some positive aspects, especially the opportunity for Lawson to redeem himself with a return to a team like Racing Bulls: “What would happen if Yuki Tsunoda, or anyone else, got into that seat and completely failed, while Liam returned to the car and did really well? It wouldn’t be a bad thing for Liam. Red Bull absolutely does not tolerate failure, but I think they are the ones responsible for it, because the engineers simply didn’t give him a good car or the chance to drive it the way he knows how.”