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Red Bull's Helmut Marko has denied any speculation of a rift between him and Christian Horner in 2024 when it comes to making a call between Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen's teammate. The second driver of the Austrian team has become a contentious topic ever since Daniel Ricciardo left the team, as there hasn't been a suitable replacement.
In 2019, Pierre Gasly was hired as the Australian's replacement but he lasted for only 6 months. He was replaced by Alex Albon, who also had a troublesome run that lasted 18 months.
Sergio Perez was a part of the squad as Max Verstappen's teammate for a decent amount of time, but even the Mexican was dropped after 2024 as he struggled to get to grips with the car. For the 2025 F1 season, there was a choice between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. Both drivers were at Racing Bulls, and one of them could potentially get the promotion.
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In the end, the call was made in favor of Liam Lawson, who became the Red Bull driver with the least races in the junior team before getting a promotion. There were reports, however, in late 2024 that there was a rift between Helmut Marko and Christian Horner when it came to making a call on who would replace Sergio Perez.
According to rumors, Marko wanted Tsunoda, but Horner wanted Lawson. When questioned about these rumors, the Red Bull man denied any such suggestion, as he said that all decisions were unanimous. He told Motorsport.com,
"All the decisions were made unanimously. Yuki Tsunoda is a very fast driver, we know that, but he has had his ups and downs. That's why we thought Lawson would be the better and stronger candidate. But as I said, Yuki has gone through a transformation."
He added,
"He has a different management and in this situation, it was the best option. Even in Suzuka, despite Lawson knowing the circuit. Hadjar didn't know China either and he was immediately up to speed, almost as fast as Yuki, at least in qualifying. So it was a downward spiral, and we had to break that to give Lawson's career a future."
Marko feels Yuki Tsunoda can handle Red Bull pressure better than Liam Lawson
One of the reasons pointed out by Red Bull when it picked Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda was the fact that the Kiwi was viewed as a driver who had more mental strength. He was viewed as someone who could handle the pressure better than Tsunoda.
Helmut Marko was questioned about the reason given before the Kiwi and why the team still made the change this early, to which he said that Lawson was a bit unlucky as he lost track time and then things spiraled. Talking about Yuki Tsunoda, the Red Bull man backed the Japanese driver to sustain in a better manner, as he said,
"Yes, it was surprising with Lawson, but as I said there were unfortunate circumstances. Even in pre-season testing in Bahrain he had problems, which limited the mileage."
He added,
"The third free practice in Australia was a crucial moment, and then the sprint weekend on top of that. Still, you have to keep delivering and while Lawson was on the downward spiral, Yuki was in his fifth year and, as I said, he is making a good impression overall. And we believe he can handle this."
Yuki Tsunoda's first race for Red Bull would be in his hometown in Suzuka. In terms of pressure, it does not get bigger than this and that is precisely what makes the spotlight even brighter on Max Verstappen's new teammate.
