Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has assured Liam Lawson his F1 career is not over following his sudden axe from the team.

Red Bull opted to demote Lawson back to Racing Bulls following the Chinese Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda stepping in for the upcoming round in Japan.

Lawson endured a disastrous opening two rounds to the season as he languished at the back of the grid with little competitive pace on display.

Marko asserted Red Bull intervened before the New Zealander lost all confidence in himself. But despite the setback, the Australian declared a successful F1 career is still a possibility for Lawson. 

“On the first race weekend in Australia, Liam suffered a turbo failure in the third practice session, and he couldn’t complete a single lap,” Marko said.

“From that moment on, the pressure on him became even greater. And so mistakes crept in.

“This trend continued in China. We had to act before Liam completely lost his confidence. In this context, we must not forget that his career is not over. 

“He is back driving for the Racing Bulls, a team with a car that is always capable of scoring points; a car that is also considerably easier to drive; and, ultimately, a team where he won’t be measured against Max Verstappen.”

Marko points to Gasly, Albon examples

Lawson’s biggest issue stemmed from being unable to get on top of the car’s narrow operating window.

It is a problem that plagued Sergio Perez throughout his final year with the team which ultimately saw him dropped at the end of last year.

As Lawson looks to bounce back with his return to Racing Bulls, Marko pointed to Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon as examples of drivers who have flourished following a Red Bull demotion.

“Another problem, and one that Sergio Perez, with all his experience, had to deal with in 2024, was that the Red Bull Racing car, with its narrow optimal operating range, is difficult to drive,” Marko added. 

“On top of that, we’re two to three-tenths of a second behind the leaders, which makes it even more difficult.

“All in all, Lawson’s confidence has steadily diminished; that was clearly visible. When he tried to push the pace, mistakes were made.

“Lawson’s change of position is nothing unusual: we’ve done the same with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon before, and both are still established drivers in Formula 1 with successful careers.”