Max Verstappen reacts to post slamming Liam Lawson’s Red Bull demotion

Max Verstappen liked the post by Ex-F1 driver Giedo van der Garde, criticizing Red Bull's decision to axe Liam Lawson unexpectedly.

Max Verstappen reacts to post slamming Liam Lawson’s Red Bull demotion

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson (via Red Bull)

Liam Lawson has been axed from Red Bull after running just two races with the team in the 2025 season. The Kiwi started both races from P20 and couldn’t score any points compared to Max Verstappen’s superior results. Now, Lawson has been swapped with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda from the upcoming Japanese GP. Following the 23-year-old’s departure, Verstappen has reacted to a social media post berating Red Bull’s current situation involving the former.

Max Verstappen had remained positive about Liam Lawson‘s chances with Red Bull despite the latter seriously underperforming. Verstappen had made a shocking statement that Lawson would be better off at RB due to Milton Keynes’ car being extremely tricky to drive. Now, after the team decided to snub the Kiwi, the 27-year-old has liked a post criticizing the people ill-talking the debutant.

YouTube video

Many fans resented the fact that Lawson was preferred for the Red Bull seat over Yuki Tsunoda and carried that grudge into the 2025 season. After Lawson was snubbed, many people noted that he wasn’t built for the sport and didn’t deserve the seat. Ex-F1 driver Giedo van der Garde applauded the Kiwi for all the hard work he had done up until this point. Moreover, the Dutchman talked poorly of those who ‘bullied’ the 23-year-old purely out of grudge.

Verstappen liked the post by van der Garde from his public account but didn’t comment anything under the post. This meant that the Dutchman was likely against writing off Lawson so soon into the 2025 season. Regardless, Yuki Tsunoda has been confirmed to drive alongside the 27-year-old as the team prepares for the upcoming Japanese GP. The reigning world champion is likely to share his blunt mind on the matter with the media in the coming weeks.

Helmut Marko asserts Max Verstappen’s criticism to be heard ‘seriously’

Max Verstappen has remained critical of Red Bull’s challenger for the past couple of years. The Dutchman’s feedback on the car was reportedly ignored previously which caused the team to fall into a spiral of issues. Now, the 27-year-old had planned out a meeting with the engineers back at the factory in Milton Keynes to discuss the problems. Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko reveals that the team will pay more attention to the feedback.

Max Verstappen and Christian Horner (via Red Bull Content Pool)
Max Verstappen and Christian Horner (via Red Bull Content Pool)

Helmut Marko pointed out that the meeting was mainly about Max Verstappen and discussing the issues with the car. After learning from previous mistakes, Marko reassured that Verstappen’s wishes and criticism would be listened to seriously by the team this time around. The Dutchman’s feedback might prove to be crucial for the team as they could achieve a great turnaround in performance down the season.

The meeting is mainly about Max going through the next steps with the technicians. His wishes and criticism will be listened to seriously.

Helmut Marko told OE24

Helmut Marko claims fixing performance issues ‘not an overnight thing’

Red Bull has continued to implement multiple crucial changes to the car in hopes of improving performance in the past years. However, the updates have not fared well as the team seems to lack massive pace compared to the rivals. Still, the Austrian constructor remains confident and optimistic over bridging the gap to the rivals in terms of pace following Max Verstappen’s crucial feedback on the car.

Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase (via Red Bull Content Pool)
Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase (via Red Bull Content Pool)

Marko shared his blunt opinion on Red Bull not finding improvement as quickly as the rival teams. The Austrian asserted that the car would need to perform better after Verstappen’s meeting with the engineers. The 81-year-old revealed that there were still some updates in the ‘pipeline’ that could help improve the pace. The advisor insisted that fixing such big issues was not an ‘overnight’ thing that could be fixed as easily.

Then our car has to perform better. We have something in the pipeline, but it will take time. It’s not an overnight thing.

Helmut Marko concluded

Red Bull has the massive task of not only finding improvement for this season but also preparing for the regulation changes of the 2026 season. The current situation remains extremely disappointing for the team despite incessant efforts to improve their condition. Verstappen has remained strong in his performances and remains a great contender for the driver’s title. On the other hand, the constructor championship seems like a far-fetched goal for the Austrian constructor currently.