22 hours Ago By [email protected] (Pavitra Shome)
Updated April 3rd 2025, 17:27 IST Red Bull Racing has demoted Liam Lawson and sent him to the F1 side's sister team, RB. Yuki Tsunoda has been promoted as his replacement ahead of the Japan GP. Lewis Hamilton has offered some kind words for Liam Lawson, who recently suffered the axe of the Red Bull Racing F1 Team.
The 23-year-old driver from New Zealand was demoted to the Formula One team's junior side, Racing Bulls, after underperforming in the Australian and Chinese GP. Yuki Tsunoda was announced as Lawson's replacement and would team up with the reigning drivers champion. Lewis Hamilton Expresses Support For Demoted Liam Lawson With the Japanese Grand Prix happening this weekend at the iconic Suzuka Circuit, all eyes would be on Yuki Tsunoda, who would be making his full-time debut with Red Bull Racing.
The 24-year-old will step in as Max Verstappen's new teammate for the rest of the 2025 season. For Liam Lawson, the setback is massive as the F1 team dropped him after two races. Ahead of the Japanese GP, Lawson receives support from the seven-time F1 driver's champion and Scuderia Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton.
"I am not surprised to see [it from] them [Red Bull]. I don't really have any views on it. Both are great drivers.
I think we have got a lot of really great drivers here, particularly young, talented drivers. I think there's naturally a lot of pressure on youngsters coming in. "There is no way you can fully get on top of a car which is known to not be the easiest car to drive.
Just to give him two races is pretty harsh," Lewis Hamilton said ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. Also Read: Michael Schumacher's Double F1 Title-winning Ferrari to Be Auctioned at Monaco GP 2025 - Check Details Here Max Verstappen Upset Over Yuki Tsunoda Replacing Lawson Max Verstappen was not happy with the sudden swap of teammates after Red Bull demoted Liam Lawson and brought up Yuki Tsunoda from the reserve pool. The reigning drivers champion believes that F1 is tough and that driving in tracks the rookies are not familiar with does not help their case in front of the team.
"I think for rookies, always at the beginning of the season, you have the calendar nowadays, and F1 is very tough. Because most of the tracks, they haven't really driven on, or they maybe have a sprint weekend. So all these scenarios, they don't help," Max Verstappen said, as quoted by AFP.
The Japanese Grand Prix is all set to happen over the weekend, with the main race happening at the Suzuka Circuit on Sunday, April 6, 2025. Also Read: Red Bull's New F1 Driver Yuki Tsunoda Fired 'Max Verstappen' Warning Ahead of Japanese GP 2025 Published April 3rd 2025, 17:27 IST.
