Red Bull to demote Lawson

Red Bull’s bosses have decided to drop Liam Lawson from their top Formula 1 team after just two races.

The New Zealand driver will now swap places with Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda and return to Red Bull’s second team, Racing Bulls, for the next race in Japan on April 6, reports the BBC.

Team bosses met this week to discuss Lawson’s fate and the decision is expected to be confirmed in the coming days by Red Bull, who refused to comment.

The move comes after the 23-year-old, pictured, failed to pick up any points from the first two races of the 2025 season.

He qualified 18th at the Australian Grand Prix before crashing out of the rain-hit race.

In China last weekend, he qualified last for the sprint and the grand prix before finishing in 14th and 12th respectively.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, his Red Bull team-mate and defending champion, finished second in Australia, third in the sprint in Shanghai and fourth in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Lawson was promoted to Red Bull this season to replace Sergio Perez, who was paid off by the team despite the Mexican having two years left on his contract.

Red Bull picked Lawson over Tsunoda for their top team, despite the New Zealander having completed just 11 grands prix over two seasons compared with Tsunoda who has raced for the company since 2021.

The BBC says the decision to dump Lawson after two races will, to many, smack of a team in denial about the size of the problem they have with their car

Verstappen is said by insiders to believe the move is an error, on the basis the problem is Red Bull’s car, not the second driver.

The Dutchman has already described the 2025 Red Bull as the fourth quickest car behind rivals McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.