Marko on promoting Lawson instead of Tsunoda: 'Question of strenghts'

After the end of the 2024 season, it was announced that Liam Lawson will get the promotion to Red Bull Racing and is now Max Verstappen's teammate. As a result, Yuki Tsunoda remains at Racing Bulls. Red Bull's top advisor, Helmut Marko, talked about the Japanese driver's situation in Bahrain.

In Bahrain, the advisor was asked when they informed Tsunoda about their decision to promote Lawson instead. "I can't remember when we informed him, but it was mainly a question of mental strengths. And around Mexico, Yuki, unfortunately, had these two accidents. And Liam did very well. So it was more or less then looking at all the facts, [that's] why we have to [go] for Liam," the Austrian explained to GPblog and others.

As a result, another season at Racing Bulls awaits Yuki Tsunoda, where he will paired up with rookie Isack Hadjar. According to Marko, there is plenty of motivation to perform for the Japanese driver. "He has to show, he has a young fast young teammate, and it's his future. So he has to motivate himself. And it’s: if he's doing well, there is a future. If not, maybe there's no more chance in F1."

With this season, Red Bull's partnership with Honda also comes to an end. The Austrian has a clear target for the 2025 season. "We want to finish the season as high as the whole relationship was, and that means that we at least try to win the fifth title with Max."

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