Liam Lawson may have produced similar results to Yuki Tsunoda had he kept the second Red Bull seat last season, and there’s a sense in Drive to Survive that Christian Horner has started to feel that swap.
After taking over from Lawson, Tsunoda scored 30 points in 22 races, finishing 17th in the standings. Red Bull ended up third in the Constructors’ Championship, though Max Verstappen alone could have carried them there.
If Tsunoda had managed just over 50 points – even below what was expected – it still would have been enough for Red Bull to edge out Mercedes for second place.
Lawson didn’t score any points or get out of Q1 in his first two races, but considering Tsunoda averaged a 12.6 finishing position across the season, it’s reasonable to think Lawson could have matched that level at minimum.
Horner admits Red Bull were too hasty with their decision to replace Liam Lawson
Christian Horner has admitted that Red Bull’s driver changes haven’t worked out, and hinted the team may have moved too quickly when they let go of Liam Lawson.
Red Bull have been plagued by issues with their second seat since Daniel Ricciardo left. Horner admitted it had become a long-term headache for the team. “You’ve got to remember our whole story since 2018 has been around that second seat,” he said.
“Since Daniel Ricciardo left, it’s been a long-standing problem for us.”
The decision came at an awkward time for Tsunoda, who had shown promise during his three years at RB but struggled to find consistency in 2025. While there were occasional bright spots, including strong qualifying runs in Monaco and Singapore, he was never able to fully turn things around.
Max Verstappen’s response to Lawson’s demotion was due to frustration
Also in the episode, Sky F1 reporter Craig Slater asks Horner off the record about Verstappen’s stance on the driver change. The exchange offers a glimpse into how the reigning World Champion felt about Red Bull’s decision to drop Lawson.
“Did Max push for Yuki Tsunoda? What does he make of all this?” Slater asks. While hesitant to dive too deeply into details, Verstappen had already liked a social media post from former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde calling Red Bull’s move ‘bullying or a panic move,’ later confirming he agreed with that view.
However, Horner told Slater that Verstappen was simply ‘grumpy’ at the time because Red Bull had made a disappointing start to the season. It was clear after just two races that McLaren had built a significantly better car.
“There’s a lot of negativity around ‘Max is unhappy’,” Horner says. “Like any racing driver, they’re always grumpy when they’re not winning.”
Read more:
