The "unexpected" phone call that ended Lawson's Red Bull stint

Being told you’re out at your dream job can’t have been an easy conversation for Liam Lawson, who was dropped by Red Bull Racing after just two rounds ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. 

However, what makes it worse is how “unexpected” the news was to the now-Racing Bulls pilot, who received a phone call in the days after Shanghai telling him the demotion was a done deal and former team-mate Yuki Tsunoda would be taking his seat at the top team.

Speaking to media at the Suzuka circuit on Thursday, Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda both explained the timeline of events that lead to this dramatic switching of seats – with Red Bull’s latest signing remaining suspiciously secretive about key details. 

“This was something I wasn’t expecting so early,” Lawson began, “but something that obviously is not my decision. For me, it’s now about making the most of obviously this opportunity, and still being in Formula 1. I still have that. It’s been a good week of preparations, so I’m excited to get going.” 

Racing Bulls is a team Lawson has plenty of familiarity with, starting 11 grands prix for them over two seasons, which perhaps offers some comfort in such a challenging time. His former colleagues were ready to embrace his comeback, welcoming him into the paddock on Thursday with a pit board reading “we missed you” in a move which clearly touched the 23-year-old. 

Lawson had struggled during the opening rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season, scoring no championship points across Australia and China, but made it clear he had no inkling such a big decision was on the horizon when he left Shanghai. 

Lawson had “no idea” after China weekend

“I had no idea in China. It was something that was decided, I guess the Monday or Tuesday afterwards. I found out after after China, basically. So, it was probably more unexpected. I left China and started preparations for Japan. Then, I had a phone call basically saying this was what was going to happen and it was more of a done deal.”

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who was another victim of Red Bull’s brutal ways, was also present during the press conference and was asked for his take on the situation. Starting off with a joke that he “didn’t remember 2019” – the year he too was dropped by Red Bull – he continued and wished Lawson and Tsunoda all the best. 

“I can obviously relate to some things,” Gasly added. “I think it’s very difficult to judge anything from the outside. Only Liam can know his situation and know all the details from it. You know, you’ve just got to respect that we are all trying our best with the tools we have.”

For Tsunoda though, a timeline of events was harder to distinguish. 

Tsunoda withholding details on the move

Being clear from the outset that he “can’t say specific details” of how the transition from Racing Bulls – also known as VCARB – to Red Bull Racing occurred, he did state that team boss Christian Horner gave him a heads up right after China that “things might change a little”. 

“The first call I got was from Christian [Horner], I think right after China, and that maybe I should be prepared that things are going to change a little bit,” Tsunoda stated. 

“I guess around Tuesday or something like Monday I was in the UK preparing for Suzuka. It was planned with VCARB, and the plans changed. Immediately I did a simulator decision with Red Bull Racing. I think at that point it was just in case, and within two days or three days I was spending in the UK, Horner confirmed it in person. So that was kind of a timeline. I can’t say when specifically, but yeah, that was kind of a timeline.”

Tsunoda’s time on the simulator at Milton Keynes has been productive though, with the Japanese driver now aware of the direction he wants to start in developing the RB21 alongside new team-mate Max Verstappen. 

“I did multiple set-ups that I wanted to make it a little bit better. It seems to be a good baseline for overall performance, so it was a really good simulator sessions.”

With many concerns about the instability of Red Bull’s 2025 challenger, Tsunoda also confirmed he could feel early signs of a problem when on the simulator but the real test will be when he hits the track for Free Practice 1 tomorrow. 

“I’m sure [the simulator] is not fully correct in terms of the trickiness of the car, but at least it didn’t feel crazy, crazy tricky. But I can, at the same time, feel what the drivers were mentioning about the instability or driving confidence.”