By Saajan Jogia is a motorsport and automotive writer with over ten years of experience. His passion for cars and motorcycles has been a driving force behind his evolution as a writer.He has extensively covered Formula 1, MotoGP, IndyCar, NASCAR, WEC, and technology for publications including Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, Newsweek, and Men's Journal.
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Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has offered his take on Liam Lawson's demotion from Red Bull to its junior Formula One team, Racing Bulls. Hamilton said that he wasn't surprised by the early move and acknowledged the pressure that rookie drivers face in F1.
Lawson was assessed alongside Yuki Tsunoda last year at Racing Bulls for a potential promotion to Red Bull. Following Sergio Perez's exit from the team after the 2024 season, Lawson was selected for the seat.
However, the first two races of the 2025 season saw him struggle with the RB21 F1 car. While his teammate Max Verstappen acknowledged that the car needed to be improved, Lawson's failure to score points and his lackluster qualifying performances contributed to his demotion.
Red Bull swapped him with Tsunoda, who will make his race debut in the RB21 at his home race venue in Japan on Sunday. Red Bull's decision to swap drivers after just two races has stirred a debate. Hamilton was asked in Suzuka about the timing of Red Bull's decision, and surprisingly, he wasn't surprised by the early decision. He told the media:
"I'm not surprised to see them move that early, no.
"They're both great drivers. I think we've 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 and I think there's no way you can get fully on top of a car which is known to be not the easiest car to drive. Just to get in two races was pretty tough."
Williams' Alex Albon, who raced for Red Bull from 2019 to 2021, acknowledged that Lawson lacks experience but not pace. He said:
"I think it's not a career-ender for Liam at all. It's how you use this opportunity. He's still young. He's still inexperienced. I know Liam. I obviously raced against him in DTM. I know how quick he is and how quick he was in that series. I think he'll bounce back, and he'll be just fine."
Albon pointed out that Lawson has been caught by challenging circumstances, especially with the current era of regulations concluding after the 2025 season. He added:
"I think the season as a whole has become so tight now that you can't have these races where you're six-, seven-tenths off. You can't afford to be that slow. And I think it's just a difficult circumstance for him. It's the final year of regulations where the cars have been optimised for their teams, for their drivers."
Lawson will take the wheel of the VCARB 02 this weekend at Suzuka, which marks the beginning of a new journey with an old team.
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