Liam Lawson reveals he didn’t see ruthless Red Bull axing coming as Christian Horner takes duty for ‘asking an excessive amount of too quickly’ of the younger Kiwi driver

Liam Lawson has opened up on his brutal axing by Red Bull with the Kiwi driver revealing he did not see his sacking coming.

Christian Horner and powerbrokers within the Formula One side opted to cut the 23-year-old’s time in the RB21 car short after the Kiwi driver had struggled for form at the beginning of the 2025 season.

He became the latest victim of Red Bull’s brutal recruitment policy, after having just raced twice for the Milton Keynes-based side in 2025.

Lawson had spun out of the Australian Grand Prix in this season’s opening race weekend before finishing 16th at the Chinese Grand Prix, having also finished last in qualifying ahead of the race.

But the move to drop him has seemingly caught the ire of former team-mate Max Verstappen, according to sources close to Mail Sport, with the Dutchman for the second time in six months, now set to race alongside a new team-mate with Yuki Tsunoda set to succeed Lawson for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

‘It was definitely a shock, honestly,’ Lawson told Sky Sports Formula One. ‘It’s not something that I saw coming.

Liam Lawson was brutally axed by Red Bull last week after featuring in just two races in 2025

Christian Horner (pictured right with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko) admitted that the team had ‘asked too much of Lawson too soon’ 

Lawson stated he was left ‘shocked’ by the decision which he added had not expected 

‘The discussions we were having as well, I think, weren’t really leaning in this direction, so it was definitely not something that I sort of expected.

Lawson also admitted that he was left frustrated over the lack of time he had been given in the RB21 seat, dismissing claims that he had struggled to handle the RB21, which Horner said last week, was a deciding factor in why the team chose to part company with Lawson. 

‘Honestly, yes. Obviously, I would have loved more time,’ Lawson said.

‘And I felt like with more time, especially going to places that I’d been before… it was a tough start. We had a rocky testing. We had a rocky first weekend in Melbourne with practice. And then obviously China was a Sprint.

‘I think going to places that I’d been before with the way the car was quite tricky, I think that would have helped and I would have loved that opportunity. But obviously, it’s not my decision, so I’m here to make the most of this one.’

Horner, meanwhile, defended Red Bull’s rutheless approach to Lawson’s sacking, stating: ‘Sometimes you’ve got to be cruel to be kind, and I think that in this instance, this is not the end for Liam.

He added: ‘Of course, it’s horrible because you’re taking away someone’s dreams and aspirations.’

Speaking on the decision to part company with Lawson last week, Horner said he thought that Lawson, who will now take Tsunoda’s seat with the Racing Bulls, had struggled with the handling of the RB21.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the Red Bull team principal also revealed what he had told the Kiwi driver after the Chinese Grand Prix.

‘What I was very clear with him, is that it’s a sample of two races. I think that we’ve asked too much of you too soon,’ Horner said to Sky Sports F1.

‘We have to accept, I think we were asking too much of him too soon. And so this is for him to, again, nurture that talent that we know that he has, back in the Racing Bulls seat, whilst giving Yuki the opportunity and looking to make use of the experience that he has.’

More to follow…