Earlier this week, Red Bull Racing announced Isack Hadjar’s promotion to their F1 seat. With Arvid Lindblad graduating from F2 as he got Hadjar’s seat in Racing Bulls, driving alongside Liam Lawson. This left Yuki Tsunoda without a Formula 1 seat for 2026. The Kiwi told Sky Sports F1 that he sympathized with Tsunoda and explained how it felt when Red Bull cut him after only two races.
Lawson confronts doubt amid his Red Bull exit
Lawson often leaned on the belief that setbacks carried a purpose, especially in difficult moments earlier in the year. As uncertainty around his future grew, Lawson found himself questioning that mindset while trying to make sense of what was happening as his time at Red Bull came to an end. At the same time, he recognised that such doubts sat uneasily with the mentality required at the top level. In Lawson’s view, every driver on the grid had to back their own ability completely, convinced they belonged there as much as anyone.
He told Sky Sports F1: “I definitely think about that phrase [everything happens for a reason] a lot, and I always try and tell myself that sometimes in the bad moments. At the start of the year, obviously, I was having a lot of those sorts of thoughts with what was going on, but at the same time, it’s hard to say that now because I think to be in the sport, we all believe in ourselves, obviously. I think you couldn’t be here if you thought that somebody was better than you.”
How a two-race stint left Lawson stronger, not scarred
Lawson admitted he needed more time to truly settle and felt that a two-race opportunity at Red Bull barely gave him the chance to process the experience. The brief stint almost blurred into the background, overshadowed by what followed over the season. Looking back, he leaned on the belief that difficult moments could still lead to growth. Lawson felt that the challenges of this year had hardened him, leaving him more resilient and with a more profound understanding of himself and the sport.
“And I would have liked to have thought that with the right amount of time, I would have got my head around it honestly because for me, two races was… I honestly don’t even really remember them. They were so short, but I do believe in that phrase sometimes, and I do think that there are a lot of things that have happened this year that have made me a lot stronger, and I’ve learned a lot from.”
Lawson on F1’s ruthless reality and Tsunoda’s fate
When asked if he felt sorry for Tsunoda, Lawson acknowledged the harsh reality of the sport. He pointed out that many drivers dedicate years to reaching Formula 1 and never get a chance at all, while others, like Tsunoda, at least manage to spend several seasons on the grid. Lawson stressed that the business remained unforgiving at every level, and noted that his own experience at Red Bull had underlined just how ruthless the environment could be.
“I think it’s tricky, because in the same way that I would feel for anybody that’s not in Formula 1 that’s worked a long time to get there, but at the same time, there are a lot of guys who don’t get the opportunity ever. And he’s had a few years in the sport. It’s a very, very tough game, which obviously I’ve learned as well.”
