A senior Red Bull advisor has explained that Liam Lawson’s abrupt removal from the team was driven by the need to provide better support for Max Verstappen in his pursuit of a fifth consecutive Formula 1 world title.

Lawson was replaced just two races into the new season, with the New Zealander swapping seats with Yuki Tsunoda after failing to score points in Australia and China.

The 23-year-old struggled to adapt to a car that has proven problematic for the team, with Verstappen himself expressing concerns despite securing second and fourth-place finishes.

The decision to switch drivers at such an early stage has sparked significant criticism.

Verstappen even raised eyebrows with his social media activity after liking a post that appeared to question the move.

Red Bull’s veteran advisor, Helmut Marko, admitted that Verstappen was not entirely happy with the decision.

However, he hopes the Dutchman will understand that it was made with his championship aspirations in mind.

“We know Max is not happy,” Marko told De Telegraaf. “But we need two cars at the front—not just for the constructors’ championship, but also to help Max secure his fifth world title. Then you can achieve more strategically in races.

“We can use Yuki’s experience and form now. That counts. At the end of the day, that is to the advantage of the team. And that also means to the advantage of Max.”

Lawson had been promoted from Racing Bulls, ahead of Tsunoda, as Sergio Perez’s replacement for the 2025 season after just 11 races in Formula One.

However, his Red Bull stint got off to a disastrous start. He crashed out on his debut in Melbourne and then qualified last for both the sprint and the main race in China, ultimately finishing 12th.

As a result, the New Zealander has been sent back to Racing Bulls, while Tsunoda—who has been with Red Bull’s junior team since 2021 will now step up to partner Verstappen ahead of his home race in Japan on April 6.

Marko, 81, acknowledged that the Red Bull car is “difficult to drive” but suggested that Lawson’s confidence had taken an irreparable hit.

“His performance was unfortunately not good enough, and that comes from self-confidence,” Marko told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast. “We were worried that his self-confidence was so damaged that he could not bring his normal performance. We need to have two drivers for the constructors’ championship and also to support Max.

“Yuki has until the end of the season because we believe he can do the job.”

Despite the setback, Marko believes Lawson can “recover and start again” at Racing Bulls, pointing out that other F1 drivers, such as Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, have rebuilt their careers after similar demotions.

However, the Austrian admitted that Red Bull may have made mistakes in their handling of the situation, saying, “Yes, I would say we made a mistake.”

Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the Chinese Grand Prix after a challenging race, but his result was later wiped out due to a post-race inspection failure.

The Ferrari driver was disqualified because his SF-25’s rear skid blocks were found to be just “0.5mm below the limit.”

To highlight how marginal this infraction was, Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater demonstrated using an ID card. “This is your ID pass. Less than the width of this is the margin by which Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Grand Prix today. But they have to draw the line somewhere.”

Hamilton wasn’t the only driver to be disqualified. His Ferrari team-mate, Charles Leclerc, was also removed from the final classification after his car was found to be “1kg under the minimum weight.” Alpine’s Pierre Gasly suffered the same fate, compounding the drama of the post-race inspections.

A Costly Blow for Ferrari

The double disqualification was a disaster for Ferrari and team principal Fred Vasseur. The Italian outfit has collected just 17 points across two Grands Prix and a sprint race, placing them fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, tied with Williams.

In the Drivers’ Championship, the outlook is equally bleak for Ferrari’s drivers. Hamilton and Leclerc sit ninth and tenth, with just nine and eight points, respectively.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris has surged to the top of the standings with “44 points from the opening two rounds.”

In response to the disqualifications, Ferrari issued a statement: “Following the FIA post-race scrutineering, both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons. Car 16 was found to be underweight by 1kg, and car 44’s rearward skid wear was found to be 0.5mm below the limit.”

The team explained the reasoning behind the infractions, stating: “Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight. With regard to Lewis’ skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin. There was no intention to gain any advantage.”

Ferrari remains determined to move past the controversy, adding: “We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again. Clearly, it’s not the way we wanted to end our Chinese GP weekend, neither for ourselves nor for our fans whose support for us is unwavering.”

Despite the disappointment on Sunday, Vasseur can take some encouragement from Hamilton’s performance in the sprint race.

The seven-time world champion claimed his first victory as a Ferrari driver, standing on the top step of the podium ahead of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.

While the Shanghai Grand Prix ended in frustration, Ferrari now turns its focus to bouncing back stronger in the next round of the championship.

Max Verstappen displayed surprising pace in the closing stages of the Chinese Grand Prix, yet he fell behind the top five in the final laps.

The big question remains where did this sudden speed come from?

Pirelli’s tyres were a hot topic leading up to the race, given the newly resurfaced Shanghai International Circuit.

The sprint race indicated that graining would be a key issue, which proved to be completely accurate during the main event.

Oscar Piastri started on pole, followed by George Russell, Lando Norris, and Verstappen. However, the Dutch driver knew his chances of victory were slim.

His expectations were confirmed in the early laps as he quickly dropped from fourth to sixth, falling several seconds behind the top five.

At that stage, it seemed he was destined to finish sixth, especially after switching to hard tyres and struggling for pace.

Despite his slow middle stint, Verstappen’s pace suddenly improved in the final laps, surpassing Ferrari’s performance.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton had opted for a two-stop strategy, which Pirelli deemed ideal.

Verstappen moved into fifth after Hamilton’s pit stop and then executed a brilliant overtake on Charles Leclerc at Turn 3 to claim fourth place.

Interestingly, a one-stop strategy turned out to be the best choice, as his performance improved significantly when his fuel load lightened.

After the race, Red Bull revealed that they had been overly cautious in the first stint, focusing too much on tyre management. If Verstappen had been allowed to push earlier, he might have challenged Russell for third place.

View the lap times and race pace of the top drivers below. The text continues after that.

The Chinese Grand Prix highlighted a major issue for Red Bull: they still don’t fully understand the RB21.

Verstappen’s late-race speed was unexpected, given that he had been consistently slower than the McLarens earlier in the race.

While this newfound pace provides hope, Red Bull is still searching for answers. The team has called an emergency meeting to analyze the situation and strategize on how to close the gap to McLaren.

Despite fears that McLaren would dominate, the team wasn’t as overwhelming as anticipated. While Piastri and Norris secured a one-two finish, their pace management suggested they had more performance in reserve.

Verstappen lost nearly three-tenths per lap to Piastri, a smaller gap than expected, while Russell trailed by two-tenths in his Mercedes.

McLaren remains the strongest team, but upcoming upgrades from rival teams could shift the balance of power.

Red Bull has serious work to do, as the RB21’s inconsistencies persist on both street and traditional circuits. The team is struggling to decipher the car’s behavior, a problem further emphasized by Liam Lawson’s difficulties.

Lawson finished 12th in Shanghai but was classified 15th after starting from the pit lane. His struggles highlight Red Bull’s need to unlock the car’s potential quickly.

With just under two weeks until the Japanese Grand Prix, the clock is ticking for Red Bull to solve these issues and remain in the title fight.