Liam Lawson, the new victim of the Red Bull family in F1
The New Zealander was degraded to Racing Bulls after just two races in the main team, a new record for the brand of energy drinks. Here, a review of all the pilots who flew through the air.
Red Bull and his younger brother, Toro Rosso, Alpha Tauri or Racing Bulls according to the time, became meat choppers. Belonging to the Red Bull Academy, the team’s pilot development program, is a very desired objective by many young people of minor categories to retrace the path to formula 1. However, however, The hard arm of Helmut Marko, sports advisor and strong man of the brand, and Christian Horner, director of the main team, can cut with the dreams of a soup. The list of victims is large and the message is clear: he who does not yield, flies through the air.
Liam Lawson has just marked a new record in Red Bull: it lasted just two races before being ejected and returned to Racing Bulls for their loose yields from Australia and Japan. The New Zealand broke a brand that seemed difficult: Robert Doornbos had lasted three. The Oceanic Blondo did not add points in its two participations on the indomitable RB21 and, not even, managed to advance Q1 in three classifications, Melbourne’s and China’s double (Sprint and main career). “He did not yield under pressure,” Marko said to explain Lawson’s volley.
The decision of the Popes of the Energy Drink Team was to ascend to Yuki Tsunoda to occupy the place of the Neozyn. The resolution was already taken, but if something was missing to take it, the ten million extra euros that will contribute Honda (engine supplier) to the Austrian coffers was the definitive push. This redness and change of pilots is added to the long list of movements that Red Bull made since its entrance as a team in 2005.
Vitantonio Liuzzi
Already in its first season in F1, the team put hand in the alignment of pilots. After three races with David Culthard and Christian Klien as a duo, for the fourth Horner and company they decided to put Luizzi to accompany the Scots. The Italian lasted four races before being a reserve to leave Klien.
Robert Doornbos
The Dutch arrived at the F1 with the support of Red Bull and took him to the team for the last three appointments of 2006 in replacement of Klien, who did not accept the team’s offer to go to Indycar. Doornbos ran the last three quotes of that season and flew through the air. He was the owner of the record of lower stay in Milton Keynes until the arrival of Lawson.
Scott Speed
The American was another product of the Red Bull Development Program and was the head of Toro Rosso, the second team of energy drinks bought from MINARDI at the end of 2005. The Californian remained throughout 2006, but in 2007 the glowing occurred for a young German appearance: Sebastian Vettel. The German reserve of BMW and had to run in the United States in replacement of the injured Robert Kubica (he had suffered a tremendous accident a week before Den Canada). The eighth place and the general performance of Vettel caught the attention of Marko and company, who hired the German and sat in Toro Rosso from the Hungarian GP of 2007. And yes, Speed flew.
Sébastien Bourdais
The Frenchman reached F1 in 2008 with four titles in the Champ Car Row, a letter of presentation that put him as a pilot to take into account. After losing by beating with Vettel in his first year (35 points of the German against four of Bourdais), in 2009 they gave him nine races before ejecting him. His place was occupied by Jaime Algersuari, another emerged from the lower ones. The Spanish would not run until the end of the 2011 season, when it was left free.
Daniil Kvyat
The case of Russian is similar to Lawson’s, but has important differences. It lasted 21 races in Red Bull and its replacement was one Max Verstappen. The pilot born in Oufa was champion of GP3 in 2013, the year also held the Toro Rosso tester position. He arrived at Faenza as a starter in 2014 and, with his good performances, he won the jump to Red Bull for 2015 to replace Vettel, who went to Ferrari. He was Daniel Ricciardo’s partner. Kvyat lasted until the fourth event of 2016. The impressive walk of Verstappen in in team B made him ascend to Red Bull and Kvyat had to return Toro Rosso. But the Russian would not last there because another Red Bull project was already emerging: Pierre Gasly. The 2016 GP2 champion was Toro Rosso Reserve in 2017 and sat in the Kvyat armchair in the Malaysian GP (15th date). While the Russian would run in the United States, the French would return to the last three and stay as a starter in 2018.
Brendon Hartley
The New Zealander also made the lower ones with the support of Red Bull and arrived in Toro Rosso for the last four quotes of 2017 in replacement of Carlos Sainz (he went to Renault). Hartley would complete the 2018 season and there would come before the Red Bull family starting door was shown. For 2019, Faenza’s team uploaded Daniil Kvyat and Alex Albon.
Pierre Gasly
After running in Toro Rosso all of 2018, the Frenchman was promoted to Red Bull for 2019 as a companion of Verstappen. The Dutch ended Gasly’s confidence, who barely lasted 12 races before being degraded again to Toro Rosso. His place was occupied by Alex Albon.
Alex Albon
The Thai, another that arrived from the bases of Red Bull, arrived as head of Toro Rosso in 2019. With just 12 races in F1 (Lawson arrived with 11) was promoted to replace Gasly. In its premiere he achieved a meritorious fifth place and added points in eight of the nine races he played with the RB15 until the end of the year. His performance led Horner and Marko to confirm him by 2020, but he stopped convincing the Popes. Albon was banished after the end of 2020.
VRies Nyck
The Dutch had been part of the McLaren program and then passed to Mercedes, a brand with which he won the title of Formula E. In 2022 it was Williams reserve and had to run in Italy in Italy in replacement of Albon, who was operated urgently by appendicitis. From Vries shone and it was ninth. That was enough for Marko to look for him and sign a contract of head of Alpha Tauri in 2023. He lasted just ten races. The lack of results caused him to cut the contract.
Daniel Ricciardo
The Australian, after his evil passage through McLaren, was recruited again by Red Bull and sat it in the Alpha Tauri that left Nyck free of Vries. In 2024 the team was renamed as Racing Bulls and a good walk of Ricciardo was expected, whom they wanted for the main team in 2025. None of that happened. After Singapore’s career (18th date) that of Perth was ceased and replaced by Lawson. The rest is already told.
Checo Pérez
Verstappen. After being runner -up in 2023 and with a very good start of 2024, the team’s dome renewed the tapatío contract by 2025 on the weekend of the Monaco GP. But Czech’s performance began to fall at the same time that the RB20 was lost in updates that did not work. At the end of the year, from the team they decided to terminate the Mexican’s link, which neither released, in exchange for 18 million euros of compensation.
Can Tsunoda tame the RB21? It seems that only Verstappen can tame the 2025 Red Bull car and only to fight for a podium place. For something, the engineers dome of the team gathered urgently with the tetracampeon in Milton Keynes to try to find a solution. The Japanese, with the ten million euros of Honda, will sit in the career of his house. His chances of finishing the season in the Austrian team will depend on his performance. There is clear evidence that Marko and Horner will not wait much if you have to make another movement.
