Liam Lawson has reportedly been axed by Red Bull Racing ahead of the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix,” Afrosport reports.
Rumours of the New Zealander being axed from the team had intensified after the Chinese Grand Prix at the weekend, following a bad start to the season.
After two races, Lawson has failed to score points, recording a DNF in Australia before finishing 12th in Shanghai.
According to Crash.net, an emergency meeting was held in Dubai on Tuesday, and the 23-year-old’s fate has now been sealed with former Racing Bulls teammate Yuki Tsunoda being the replacement ahead of the next race in Suzaka, his home race.
Red Bull have made no official comment on this report about axing Lawson. He was promoted to Red Bull promotion at the end of 2024 from sister team Racing Bulls after Sergio Perez was axed as teammate to Max Verstappen.
The energy drink-backed team are already 40 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship, while Verstappen trails Lando Norris by eight points in the drivers’ standings.
