Christian Horner breaks silence on sacking Liam Lawson as ‘duty of care’ explained | F1 | Sport
Christian Horner has explained the decision to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after just two race weekends, citing a ‘duty of care’ and the need to ‘protect’ the New Zealander after a miserable start to life at Red Bull. Lawson failed to score a point across his first two Grand Prix weekends with Red Bull in Melbourne and Shanghai and, more worryingly, showed no signs of improvement as he struggled to understand the RB21’s behaviour.
After the Chinese Grand Prix, reports emerged suggesting that the 23-year-old might be replaced by Racing Bulls driver Tsunoda, and on Thursday, this news was confirmed by Red Bull. This was a brutal blow for Lawson, who must return to the sister team and rebuild his reputation.
Explaining the controversial decision, team principal Horner said: “It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races, and as a result, we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch.
“We came into the 2025 season, with two ambitions, to retain the World Drivers’ Championship and to reclaim the World Constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision. We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car.
“We welcome him to the team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21. We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam, and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a team he knows very well.”
Tsunoda now faces an intense learning curve as he looks to bring the second Red Bull car closer to Max Verstappen in terms of results and performance – something that Lawson, Sergio Perez, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly all failed to do before him.
However, according to Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies, the 24-year-old is ready for the challenge. “We’re incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing,” he said. “His progress last year, and more recently from the very start of 2025, has been nothing less than sensational.
“Personally, and collectively, it has been an immense privilege to witness those progresses for all of us in Faenza and in Milton Keynes. Yuki’s energy and positivity has lightened up every corner of our factories and of our garage and he will always be a Racing Bull.”
