Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has contended that Liam Lawson losing his drive with Red Bull in Formula 1 to Yuki Tsunoda shouldn’t be recognised as a “demotion”.
Lawson registering consecutive scoreless weekends to open the campaign has prompted Red Bull to commit to an immediate change prior to the next race in Japan.
Red Bull has capitalised on retaining two teams to do a straight swap with Tsunoda being promoted to the senior setup, while Lawson takes his place at Racing Bulls.
The switch has guaranteed that Lawson has an instant chance to rebuild his career in an environment that he is accustomed to, having made 11 starts with the team.
Racing Bulls has proven to have a competitive package in 2025, with the VCARB 02 regarded as a more benign and predictable car than the capricious Red Bull RB21.
But despite Red Bull’s peak potential continuing to remain higher than the satellite squad, Marko has stressed that it is wrong to report Lawson’s move as a demotion.
“First of all, he’s not being demoted – he’s moving to Racing Bulls, which has a very competitive car, much easier to handle than the RB21,” he told Motorsport.com.
Lawson urged to replicate Gasly/Albon examples
Marko cited how both Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have restored their reputations outside the Red Bull stable since enduring a taxing time alongside Max Verstappen.
“We mentioned Gasly. He later came back into strong form and is now a very successful grand prix driver with Alpine,” he highlighted.
“The same applies to Albon [at Williams].
“Everyone had the same fate next to Max, but they bounced back and found their form again in a less competitive environment.”
Why Red Bull changed Lawson now
Marko indicated that Red Bull was certain that Lawson’s dented morale ensured even a return to tracks he has prior experience at wouldn’t have rescued the situation.
“Well, it was a unanimous decision on our part,” the Austrian admitted. “Earlier in the race [in China], we tried a different set-up.
“He was simply on the ropes, like a boxer. And when a boxer is on the ropes, you take him out of the ring.
“But in his case, we have the safety net of our unique opportunity with a second team – so we’re keeping him in Formula 1.”
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