“Very sorry for him,” Christian Horner slams media for attacking Liam Lawson over rumored demotion
Christian Horner managed expectations on Liam Lawson and slammed the media for creating a big deal out of the latter's dismal results.
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Liam Lawson and Christian Horner (via Red Bull)
Red Bull’s start to the 2025 season has been nothing short of a massive disappointment. The car issues from the previous season seem to have carried over onto the RB21 chassis this year. Despite Max Verstappen maximizing points for the team in a highly incompetent car, debutant Liam Lawson has been unable to do so. The Kiwi driver’s streak of woeful performances has already sparked rumors that the team might axe him as early as the Japanese GP. Now, Christian Horner has issued a heartfelt statement towards Lawson and berated the media for making the issues a big deal.
Liam Lawson‘s performance in the initial appearances seemed to be decent as he prepared for the massive challenge of racing against Max Verstappen as his teammate. The Dutchman kept up with good results while Lawson couldn’t even score points in his first two appearances on the track. Due to this, massive rumors flourished the paddock of the Kiwi being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda as early as the Japanese GP.
Team Principal Christian Horner sympathizes with Liam Lawson after the massive backlash aimed towards him in the wake of his lackluster performances. Horner reckoned that Lawson faced a couple of very tough weekends in terms of performance. On top of that, the media got their hands on the matter and made it a big deal which further caused pressure on the Kiwi. The Englishman noted that he felt sorry for the 23-year-old as it had been very tough for him to keep up with the pressures of racing at Red Bull.
The problem for him is that he’s had a couple of really tough weekends. He’s got all the media on his back, and the pressure just naturally grows in this business. I feel very sorry for him. You can see it’s very tough.
Christian Horner told Formula 1
Horner managed expectations on Lawson claiming that the 2025 season had just begun. The team principal pointed out that the season was just two races in as the Kiwi didn’t have many chances to perform well. The Briton assures that Milton Keynes would take all the available data on the 23-year-old’s performance and take a good look at it. Only then would the Austrian constructor wage their options of replacing the Kiwi down the road.
We’re two races in, we’ve just finished this race. We take away the information we have and have a good look at it.
Christian Horner added
Christian Horner claims Liam Lawson axe rumors ‘purely speculative’
Red Bull’s performance struggles on top of Liam Lawson’s disappointing outing caused the problems to seem worse than they are. Lawson has showcased great talent during his debut in 2023 and might still have the speed in him. As such, Christian Horner reckoned that there were always speculations in the paddock about any driver. The team principal urged people to not get carried away by rumors and to form an opinion early on.
Horner reiterated that the team would take a good look at the data and only then draw a conclusion on Lawson’s future with Red Bull. The 51-year-old asserts that all the rumors are ‘purely speculative’ and that there is no strong basis for these claims. The Red Bull boss kept repeating that Milton Keynes would take a look o the data before deciding to finally axe the 23-year-old.
There’s always going to be speculation in the paddock. We’ve only just finished the race here. We’ll take away the info and have a good look at it. Everything is purely speculative at the moment. As I said, we’ve just finished this race. We’re going to take away the info and have a good look at it.
Christian Horner noted
Christian Horner backs Yuki Tsunoda after ‘very strong’ start to 2025
Christian Horner had initially snubbed Yuki Tsunoda from a promotion to Red Bull for the 2025 season. The Briton revealed that Tsunoda was slower than Liam Lawson during the testing sessions which caused him to not be promoted up the chain. However, following Lawson’s dismal start to the year, Horner has now switched opinions on the Japanese driver, especially amidst the rumors of a driver swap.
Horner noted that Yuki Tsunoda achieved a great start to the season and even applauded rookie Isack Hadjar‘s performance. The Briton believed that the 24-year-old was very experienced now and was doing a great job at RB. The 51-year-old further acknowledged Tsunoda’s unlucky situation with the Faenza-based outfit that caused him to fall in the pecking order. Regardless, the team boss is confident that the Japanese driver has done a good job so far this season.
Yeah, I think Yuki and particularly Isack, I would say, as a rookie, has been very strong. So, you know, Yuki is a very experienced, or an experienced driver now, doing a great job. He was unlucky with, from what I can see from the race plots, with strategy [in Melbourne] and a front wing issue today. But, again last weekend he was doing a good job.
Christian Horner said, as reported by GPblog
Christian Horner’s comments about Liam Lawson seem to have further fueled the rumors of a driver swap in the coming weekends. It is now up to Red Bull to decide the perfect time to switch drivers between the two teams. While the situation remains extremely sad for Lawson, the Austrian constructor must ensure the best decision in the interest of the teams and the drivers. Hence, time will tell about how the season plays out between the two teams.
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