Red Bull sacks New Zealand's Liam Lawson after just two F1 races

New Zealand’s Liam Lawson’s stint with Red Bull Formula One team in the 2025 season has come to an end after just two races. The 23-year-old’s place is likely to be taken up by Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, several F1 news portals have claimed.

Red Bull team management met in Dubai on Tuesday (March 24) where the decision to bring in Tsunoda in place of Lawson was taken. Tsunoda will now partner Max Verstappen in the Red Bull team for the Japanese Grand Prix scheduled for April 6 at the Suzuka Circuit.

Red Bull is likely to make the official announcement about the chance later in the week. Lawson will be sent back to Racing Bulls, the feeder team for Red Bull. He had joined Red Bull from Racing Bulls, replacing Mexican Sergio Pérez.


His partner and four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has had a good start to the 2025 season and is at the second position behind the leader McLaren's Lando Norris after the first two races in Australia and China.

However, Lawson is yet to score a point. He failed to finish at the Australian GP and ended 16th in the second race in China’s Shanghai.

Lawson's sacking from Red Bull has not gone down well in his home country New Zealand where he was seen as the next sporting superstar. While his representatives told NZ Herald news portal that they were "unaware if what's been reported has been finalised by Red Bull", Kiwi motorsport analyst Bob McMurraycalled the developments a “poisoned chalice”.

Lawson and Tsunoda were teammates at Racing Bulls for six races in the 2024 season.