Since the start of 2023, there have been now been four in-season driver changes across Red Bull and their de facto junior team.
Nyck de Vries’ axe paved the way for Daniel Ricciardo’s return, but Lawson soon had a chance to impress after the Australian broke his wrist.
Those performances were at the forefront of the team’s mind when they dropped Ricciardo for good last October.
Lawson’s second audition was even more significant, with a Red Bull seat up for grabs this time.
Tsunoda won the head-to-head but Christian Horner and Helmut Marko favoured Lawson because they were impressed by his attitude and his immediately competitive pace. Just a week into the 2025 season, they have backtracked on that divisive call.
Lawson returns for what is, remarkably, a third separate stint at AlphaTauri/RB/Racing Bulls. And Tsunoda will somehow try to break the cycle as Max Verstappen’s teammate.
Arvid Lindblad should take his cue to leave Red Bull after Liam Lawson axe
Arvid Lindblad is now at the front of the Red Bull conveyor belt. After finishing fourth in the Formula 3 championship, he’s now stepped up to F2.
Tsunoda is in the final year of his deal, Lawson’s future is naturally at risk after Thursday’s news and Isack Hadjar still needs to prove himself.
If any of those drivers lose their seat, Lindblad looks like the natural beneficiary.
But there’s a strong argument that he should look to leave, even though he has a clear path to F1. Too many drivers – Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Lawson – have all failed alongside Verstappen, pointing to a fundamental issue.
Yes, Verstappen could leave Red Bull, but Lindblad can’t bank on that. He risks becoming the latest driver to be promoted rapidly and burned just as quickly.
There are also serious questions over how Horner and Marko treat their drivers.
Verstappen liked a post accusing Red Bull of ‘bullying’ Lawson, and his predecessors all looked utterly devoid of self-belief by the end of their tenures too.
On that basis, Lindblad should look to emulate Oscar Piastri, jumping from one academy to another while on the precipice of F1.
He’s good enough that there should be multiple suitors, suitors who would manage him far more carefully than Red Bull.
Arvid Lindblad sounded like Lewis Hamilton when he spoke to Lando Norris
Behind the scenes, Red Bull are expressing huge excitement about Lindblad, just as they did when Verstappen was coming through. One journalist says the internal hype levels are comparable.
The 17-year-old clinched the Formula Regional Oceania title over the winter, imperiously scoring a podium in 12 out of 15 races.
Helmut Marko says Lindblad could be Red Bull’s next champion, following in the footsteps of Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.
Lindblad said ‘see you in five years’ to Lando Norris when he saw him in the paddock, a message that he says was inspired by Lewis Hamilton.
As a youngster, Hamilton told McLaren boss Ron Dennis he’d drive for him one day.
The 2025 F2 season continues in Bahrain in the middle of next month, and the series will also accompany F1 to Saudi Arabia a week later.
