Liam Lawson has broken his silence after his sudden demotion from Red Bull to its junior Formula One team, Racing Bulls, following the Chinese Grand Prix. As F1 heads to Japan’s Suzuka Circuit this weekend, Lawson admitted that he “wasn’t expecting” the setback.
The New Zealander was promoted to Red Bull from Racing Bulls (then VCARB) after Sergio Pérez’s departure in December 2024. However, after failing to score points in the first two races of the 2025 season in Australia and China, Red Bull reversed its decision, demoting Lawson and replacing him with Yuki Tsunoda, who had also been a contender for the Red Bull seat last year.
Lawson struggled to adapt to Red Bull’s RB21 F1 car, a challenge Pérez also pointed out with the RB20 last year. While Red Bull has made mid-season driver swaps before, Lawson’s demotion after just two races was something that came as a surprise to him. When asked about his reaction to the decision, he told the media in Japan:
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“I think obviously, an opportunity this weekend. Something I wasn’t expecting, so early, but something that obviously is not my decision.
“And, for me, it’s about making the most of this opportunity now, and obviously still being in Formula One, I still have that. So, yeah, it’s been a good week of preparations, so I’m excited to get going.”
Lawson was then asked if he was aware of Red Bull’s decision during the Chinese GP weekend. He said:
“I had no idea in China. It was something that was decided, I guess, the Monday or Tuesday afterwards. I found out after China, basically. So, yeah, it was, I think for all of us probably more unexpected. But it was after the weekend.”
He acknowledged the uncertainty in F1, saying he did not have a full-time seat at this time last year. He explained:
“I think we know how Formula One is and how quickly things change. I mean, if I look back a year ago, I had no seat. I was here a year ago watching and wishing I was racing. Then I had the opportunity to race at the end of last year and the opportunity with Red Bull Racing.
“So a lot has happened in 12 months. So, for me, the main thing is being in a car. I have the opportunity to, obviously, prove where I belong here, and that’s what I’ll try and do, and that’s what I do every single time I get in the car, and that’s what I’ll be doing this weekend.
“So, I think things change very, very quickly in terms of where my future is. The only way I can control that is by driving fast.”
Addressing the race at Suzuka this weekend, the 23-year-old driver expressed excitement. He added:
“I was obviously looking forward to from the start, to be honest, to go to a track that I’ve been to before, just to have a proper sort of preparation, and now I have that. So, yeah, it’s exciting to be here.
“It’s a track that I think we all like as drivers, and it’s one of my favorite tracks to drive on. So, yeah, I’m very excited.”