Max Verstappen has expressed his dissatisfaction with Red Bull’s decision to change his teammate just two races into the current Formula 1 season. During the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, he will partner with Yuki Tsunoda following Red Bull’s controversial choice to replace the struggling Liam Lawson.
Lawson, from New Zealand, failed to secure any points in the initial two race weekends, prompting Red Bull to believe he was succumbing to pressure. Verstappen indirectly voiced his discontent by endorsing a social media post by former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde, accusing Red Bull of demoralizing Lawson.
Speaking before the Suzuka race weekend, Verstappen affirmed that he had communicated his unhappiness to Red Bull. He indicated his stance by stating, “I liked the comment, the text, so I guess that speaks for itself, right? It was not a mistake.”
While Verstappen refrained from divulging details of his conversations with the team, he emphasized that his views had been shared internally. He mentioned, “Everything has been shared with the team, how I think about everything. Sometimes it’s not necessary to always share everything in public. I think it’s better. I have discussed everything with the team so the team knows how I think about everything and I think that’s enough to be honest.”
Verstappen also mentioned having spoken with Lawson but opted not to elaborate on the discussions. He stated, “I’ve discussed everything with the team, I’ve spoken to Liam and that’s all I can say about it.”
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Lawson has returned to the Racing Bulls junior team and will team up with rookie Isack Hadjar at Suzuka this weekend. In an interview with Sky Sports in Japan, Lawson admitted that he was taken aback by being removed from Red Bull so early in the season, despite his underwhelming performance.
Expressing his disappointment at the lack of opportunities to improve, Lawson remarked, “I would have loved more time. 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 [race]. 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.”