BREAKING: Max Verstappen Upset as Red Bull Drops Lawson after.

Verstappen Reportedly Unhappy as Red Bull Drops Lawson After Just Two Races

Max Verstappen is allegedly displeased with Red Bull’s swift decision to replace Liam Lawson, who was his teammate for just two races in the 2025 Formula 1 season. The 23-year-old New Zealand driver, who was promoted from Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls, has struggled to make a significant impact in the early stages of his senior team debut, leaving him without any points.

Multiple sources have indicated that Red Bull has decided to demote Lawson back to Racing Bulls, choosing instead to reinstate Yuki Tsunoda as Verstappen’s partner. The decision is expected to be officially announced prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, which is of special significance to Tsunoda as it is his home race.

Lawson’s Early Exit Following Performance Struggles

Lawson’s promotion to the senior Red Bull team came on the back of Sergio Perez’s departure after a subpar 2024 season. The team had high hopes for Lawson, who was seen as an exciting young talent. However, the New Zealander has failed to seize the opportunity. In his short time with the team, Lawson registered a Did Not Finish (DNF) in the Australian Grand Prix and failed to score points in both the sprint and main races at the Chinese Grand Prix.

These underwhelming results contributed to Red Bull’s early struggles in the Constructors’ Championship. The team now finds itself trailing McLaren by 42 points, a gap that widened significantly after McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris secured a dominant one-two finish in China. Given this disappointing start to the season, Red Bull’s management felt compelled to act quickly in addressing the situation.

Verstappen Reportedly Upset Over Lawson’s Replacement

Despite Red Bull’s decision, reports suggest that Verstappen is not happy with how quickly the team removed Lawson. Verstappen, who is known for voicing his opinions regarding the team’s driver line-up, had previously shown support for Lawson. He emphasized that the young driver was still adapting to the challenges of driving a Red Bull car, which is notably more difficult to handle than the Racing Bulls car that Lawson drove last season.

Verstappen had also highlighted the relatively small performance gap between Lawson and Tsunoda during their time as teammates in the junior team, pointing out that Lawson needed more time to reach his full potential in the senior squad.

Tsunoda Returns to Red Bull’s Senior Team

Yuki Tsunoda, who began the 2025 season with Racing Bulls, has shown strong performances so far, accumulating three points in the early rounds. Last year, he finished the season 26 points ahead of Lawson, although Red Bull initially chose to promote Lawson to Verstappen’s side for 2025.

Now, Tsunoda is getting a second chance in the senior team, a move that could be a career-defining moment for the Japanese driver. He previously teamed up with Lawson at Racing Bulls and now steps up to fill the spot in Red Bull’s senior team as Lawson makes his way back down to the junior squad.

Red Bull’s Ongoing Struggles With Driver Stability

Red Bull’s decision to make this change reportedly took place during a meeting with key stakeholders in Dubai, which included major shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya. The team has faced ongoing challenges with their second seat, a notoriously difficult position to fill.

Since Max Verstappen joined Red Bull in 2016, Tsunoda will now become his sixth different teammate. Several drivers before him, such as Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez, have all faced difficulties in keeping up with the two-time world champion’s performance. The high level of pressure associated with Verstappen’s teammate role makes it one of the most demanding positions in Formula 1, and Lawson’s brief stint further highlights the harsh realities of competing at this level.

Despite Lawson’s early exit, the team hopes that bringing in Tsunoda will provide the stability they need as they aim to close the gap to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.