By Joe Man
No, this isn’t really true. But it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility would it. No, what this piece is really on is the brutal end to Liam Lawson’s Red Bull Career. Something which has generated a lot of media attention.
When Liam Lawson openly shared how his dream came true by joining Red Bull, he could scarcely have believed it would only last two races. Red Bull’s latest axing is the most brutal and cutthroat yet.
Everyone was surprised when Lawson secured the seat over Tsunoda. Despite Tsunoda’s long tenure with the Red Bull family, they still seemed not to trust him. Yet, just two races into the season, they’re now proclaiming that Tsunoda is the solution. Once again, the internal disagreements at Red Bull are clear for all to see.
Last year, we all watched with sadness as Daniel Ricciardo’s career came to a messy end. His exit was handled horribly, with Ricciardo himself seemingly the only one who hadn’t been officially informed that he was sacked. Everyone knew it was coming, including Daniel, yet Red Bull allowed him to finish his last race in limbo.
Enter Liam Lawson, who replaced Ricciardo and began racing as aggressively as possible, particularly against Sergio Perez, who was also facing his own Red Bull downfall. Lawson’s over-aggressive driving seemed to impress Red Bull management, who appreciate a driver willing to get into scraps.
However, take away those scraps, and the results weren’t anything extraordinary. Lawson could only claim to have stayed relatively close to Tsunoda, despite the Japanese driver being a long-standing member of the team. He also outperformed Perez, even though Perez was driving the Red Bull and Lawson was in the V-Car. I guess Liam now knows why!
Fast forward to the end of 2024, and Perez is sacked. Lawson and Tsunoda are set to fight for his seat. Did the testing really matter? Red Bull had already made up their minds—they wanted Lawson. They clearly didn’t trust Tsunoda, viewing him as a loose cannon. It’s a harsh assessment of a driver who has shown maturity for quite some time.
And so begins the off-season, with Lawson embarking on a quirky tour of interviews. He spoke like a kid in a candy store about receiving the call to drive for Red Bull. He couldn’t hide his excitement about living his childhood dream, going up against Max, and learning from him.
Melbourne Disaster
A nervous-looking Lawson arrived in Melbourne, and under blistering hot conditions, he somehow qualified last in the dominant Red Bull car. The disappointment and confusion were evident right away. The expectation surrounding him was huge, much of it built by his own words.
Race day brought the opposite weather—a rainy, cold day with crashes galore, and Lawson became another victim, sliding off into the wall. As bad as the result was, no one could blame the rookies or Lawson for their mistakes, as many more experienced drivers suffered the same fate that day.
Shanghai: A Bridge Too Far
The Sprint weekend in China marked the true beginning of the end for Lawson. Despite fine weather, with only one free practice session, it was always going to be tricky to get the setup right. Once again, Lawson found himself last in both Sprint and main qualifying. His general demeanor looked one of confusion and panic, and his increasingly desperate radio messages to his race engineer indicated that, no matter the setup, he just couldn’t drive the car.
News began circulating immediately that Lawson would be replaced. It seemed incredibly harsh after just two races, but the rumors eventually turned out to be true, and Liam’s dream was over as quickly as it began. It’s baffling that Red Bull is now touting Tsunoda as the guy to do an amazing job, just months after deciding he wasn’t the right fit.
The question now is: Can Tsunoda drive this car? It seems like a lose-lose situation for Yuki. He couldn’t turn down the promotion, but if it goes wrong, it could end his career.
As for Liam, he must pick himself up and rebuild with the Racing Bulls. His new teammate, Isaac Hadjar, has already shown great pace, and if Lawson can’t regain his confidence, his F1 career could be very short.
Liam Lawson likely spent the off-season dreaming of challenging Max and standing on the top step after winning his first race. As it turns out, he’s more likely to become a trivia question in a few years, remembered for one of the shortest and most disastrous careers in the sport.
We can only hope that Tsunoda isn’t the next name on that list!
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 