We Need to Talk About Red Bull’s Second Seat

This morning the news broke out that Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen’s team mate at Red Bull from the Japanese Grand Prix. The twenty-four year old, 2016 Super Formula champion has been in the Red Bull family since 2019, and he has been waiting for this moment for some time. However, we need to talk about the curse of the second Red Bull seat, and the ethical considerations Liam Lawson has to deal with. And whilst he’ll now be driving for the VCARB/RB team, how long do we have to wait until it happens again? Since joining Red Bull Racing in 2016, Max Verstappen has had several teammates, most of whom struggled to keep up with his pace and dominance.

Liam Lawson (2025-2025)

Liam Lawson lasted a pathetic two races as Verstappen’s team mate, and the patheticness is through no fault of his own. The Red Bull formula 1 team seems to be cut-throat in their approach for keeping and dismissing drivers. We all know that F1 is the toughest sport out there and if you underdeliver you’re gonna have to face the consequences. However, this recent controversial move by Red Bull is more of a form of bullying other than promoting athletic excellence and professionalism. Hear me out;

They based their decisions, and were more than aware, that this rookie has never driven in Australia or China, and has never taken part in a sprint race. All they did was crush his hopes and spirit. Remember, this person is a professional athlete, who had to make many sacrifices to get to where he is. He and his family dedicated their lives to his hard work, dedication and the success that he ultimately proved on his own to get to where his is now.

Most of us were lucky to participate in sports, either as a team sport or as an individual sport. Those of us who have know exactly what it means. The blood, sweat and tears to achieve some form of success, let alone in motorsport, and to be able to drive for a top level team at the pinnacle of the sport! He knew he underdelivered in the first two races of the season, he had no excuses and was honest with his comments in all of his post race interviews, but no athlete has to feel like they’re disposable.

We often forget that Formula 1 is a team sport, that there’s two championships at stake, yet the drivers take all the spotlight. It’s true that a team has to look out for themselves in order to deliver at the forefront of both championships. However, having said that, I feel for Lawson, I really do. But he’s not the only one that had to face the harsh consequences..

Sergio Pérez (2021–2024)

Pérez was brought in to provide experience and consistency, which he initially delivered, helping Verstappen in his 2021 title battle. However, as time passed, his performance dipped, with Verstappen outclassing him in both qualifying and race pace. While he has had occasional strong performances, Pérez has struggled with car development that seems tailored to Verstappen’s driving style. Despite winning races, and provided support for the team, he was unable to challenge Verstappen consistently and it was announced that he would be dropped at the end of the 2024 season.

Sergio Perez secured his seat at Red Bull for 90 races, winning securing 5 wins with the outfit.

Alexander Albon (2019 – 2020)

Albon was given a shot after Gasly’s demotion, but he too struggled to match Verstappen. While his racecraft was better than Gasly’s, he lacked the outright pace needed to challenge his teammate. He failed to secure podiums regularly, and his inability to progress hurt Red Bull in their fight against Mercedes. By the end of 2020, Red Bull lost faith in him and brought in Sergio Pérez for 2021, relegating Albon to a test and reserve role before he later revived his career at Williams.

Alex Albon raced 26 Grand Prix for Red Bull, scoring a total of 181 points.

Pierre Gasly (2019 – Mid-Season)

Promoted from Toro Rosso in 2019, Gasly was expected to perform alongside Verstappen but immediately struggled. He lacked confidence in the car and was consistently off Verstappen’s pace, often finishing far behind. Red Bull’s lack of patience and Gasly’s mental struggles saw him demoted back to Toro Rosso mid-season, replaced by Alexander Albon. Gasly later flourished at AlphaTauri, proving his talent outside the high-pressure Red Bull environment.

Pierre Gasly faced a slightly lighter (if you can even call it that) situation as Lawson. For his 12 races he amassed a total of 63 points.

Daniel Ricciardo (2016–2018)

When Verstappen joined Red Bull in 2016, he was partnered with Daniel Ricciardo, who was already an established race winner. The duo had a competitive but often tense relationship, with Ricciardo managing to hold his ground initially. However, as Verstappen developed, he became the clear future of the team. Ricciardo struggled with Verstappen’s aggressive style and Red Bull’s increasing favoritism towards the Dutchman. The final straw came in 2018 after multiple on-track clashes, including their infamous crash in Baku, leading Ricciardo to leave for Renault.

Daniel is the fourth most successful driver for Red Bull. During his 100 races for the team, he secured 7 wins, 3 pole positions, and 956 points.

How long until we update this list once again? Someone needs to take a long hard look at something that’s going on inside Red Bull, and I don’t mean that to be anyone like Helmut Marko either. But I personally feel like this philosophy might have to change soon.