The Chinese Grand Prix mercilessly exposed the fact that, at that moment, Liam Lawson was not the right man in the right place—or, more importantly, at the right time.
Brought in to replace the underperforming but far more experienced Sergio Perez, Lawson failed to prove he was ready to support the team and provide the extra edge that the Mexican had been unable to deliver in 2024, effectively handing the Constructors’ Championship to McLaren.
Just a few days ago, the New Zealander was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda and sent back to Faenza—cue Racing Bulls—after just a few months. His reaction was surprising. While it was clear to insiders that Milton Keynes was seriously considering replacing him, Lawson admitted he was completely caught off guard.
“Honestly, it was a shock,” Liam Lawson told Sky Sports. “It wasn’t something I expected. Even the discussions we had, I don’t think they were heading in that direction, so it certainly wasn’t something I could have seen coming.”
“The car is difficult to drive, but we were going through an adaptation process. With every practice session, we were adjusting and getting used to something unfamiliar. It wasn’t really about driving style or anything like that—just a gradual adaptation. And I wasn’t given the time to do that.”
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, addressed the situation, explaining why Lawson was replaced. According to him, it all came down to time—or rather, the lack of it.
“I think from everything we saw in Australia and China, it was clear that Liam was really struggling,” Christian Horner told Sky Sports – “We could have kept him in the seat, and I do believe Liam is a talented driver. Maybe in half a season, he would have reached the required performance level—but we don’t have that kind of time available. It was very clear to the team’s engineers how much Liam was struggling, and you could see the weight he was carrying on his shoulders.” – he concluded ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.
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