Liam Lawson believes Yuki Tsunoda's demotion from a full-time Red Bull driver to a reserve role for the 2026 Formula 1 season is a stark reminder of just how challenging the world championship truly is.
Tsunoda began the year with Racing Bulls, but after only two weekends, he was promoted to Red Bull, replacing Lawson, who was sent back to the junior team. However, Tsunoda's performance didn't meet the expectations of Red Bull management for the relatively experienced Japanese driver, leading to the logical decision to replace him with Isack Hadjar for the 2026 season.
Speaking to reporters, Lawson, who will drive for Racing Bulls next year, commented on the entire situation, even reflecting on the beginning of the year when he was part of Red Bull. The New Zealander mentioned how he barely remembers the races in Australia and China, emphasizing that what happened with Tsunoda illustrates the immense difficulty of Formula 1.
“I definitely subscribe to the phrase that everything happens for a reason, and I always try to remind myself of that during tough times. At the start of the year, of course, I had a lot of thoughts with everything that was going on, but at the same time, it’s hard to say this now because I think, to be in this sport, we all believe in ourselves. I don’t think I would be here if I thought someone was better than me. I would have been happy to consider that with the right amount of time to process it, because two races was… honestly, I don’t even remember them. It was such a short time, but I believe in that phrase, and I believe a lot of things happened this year that made me much stronger. I think it’s complicated because, in the same way I would feel for anyone who isn’t in Formula 1 after working so long to get here, there are also people who don’t even get a chance. He (Tsunoda) had a few years in the sport. The game is very, very tough, which I learned firsthand,” Lawson explained.