Lawson does not agree with Horner: 'My best interest was not this'

Just after two rounds were completed in the 2025 Formula 1 season, it was announced that a driver swap will take place at Red Bull Racing. From the Japanese Grand Prix onwards, Yuki Tsunoda will be Max Verstappen's teammate at the Austrian side, while Lawson will now return to Racing Bulls.

The New Zealander explained that this does not change how confident he feels in his abilities at all. "Confidence-wise, it doesn't change a lot. We all have enough self-belief to be here, to make it to Formula 1. And to be in the sport, if you don't have that self-belief, I think it makes it very, very difficult. So I think we all have that naturally. It doesn't really change how I feel about myself," he began in Suzuka.

Lawson could not score a single point for Red Bull in Melbourne or Shanghai, and was eliminated in Q1 in every qualifying session, including Sprint Qualifying in China as well. While team principal Christian Horner said they have a 'duty of care' to Lawson, the driver believes that was not his best interest.

He concluded: "So obviously for me, I'm going to feel like I would have liked to have made that opportunity work, and that's in my best interest. But obviously, the Christian and the team will have their opinions on what's best and that's up to them to decide."