The Formula 1 paddock was rocked early last season when Liam Lawson was unceremoniously demoted from Red Bull Racing after just two race weekends, replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.
Now, former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has lifted the lid on the decision – and it wasn’t his call.
For two decades, the Briton was the face of Red Bull’s dominance, but even he had to contend with the internal power struggles that define the Milton Keynes outfit.
When Lawson was bounced back to Racing Bulls ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, F1 pundits and fans alike were stunned. The young Kiwi, who had replaced Sergio Perez at the start of the year, had barely had the time to adjust his mirrors when he was ejected from his plum seat.
Speaking in the upcoming eighth season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, Horner set the record straight regarding Lawson’s fate.
"It wasn't my choice. I was always pushed to take drivers from the Young Driver Programme. Helmut was a big driver in it,” he admitted, confirming that Helmut Marko was the architect behind the scenes.
©RedBull
The move signaled the beginning of the end for Horner’s own tenure, as he was eventually replaced by Laurent Mekies. Looking back on his departure after 20 years, Horner struck a bittersweet note.
“The reality is that for me over the last 20 years, on the good days and the bad days, it's been an epic journey."
The Verstappen Connection: Kindness Behind the Visor
While the boardroom was a shark tank, the atmosphere inside the Red Bull garage was surprisingly serene – at least between the drivers. Despite being dumped from the main team, Lawson has nothing but glowing praise for his ephemeral teammate, four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
Speaking on the Gypsy Tales Podcast, Lawson revealed a side of the Dutchman that the cameras rarely catch.
“He's such a nice guy. Through everything that happened last year with Red Bull, he was so good to me, man," Lawson explained, debunking the myth of the cold, ruthless champion.
©RedBull
Lawson detailed how Verstappen went above and beyond to integrate him into the high-pressure environment of the top team.
"Before I came into the team, when I first came on the team, he was super nice and any questions, he was just helpful, really helpful, was happy to help. And then afterwards as well, he was really, really good to me."
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Hadjar: ‘Very open’ Verstappen making life easier at Red BullThe hospitality even extended to life away from the circuit.
"He was honestly really, really good. And then quite often he flies home, and I just moved to Monaco last year, and he's like 'Just come with me if you ever need a ride.' So he's a real, real nice guy."
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