Verstappen admits Lawson had a "very tough" situation as he defends his demotion

The New Zealander lasted just two grands prix in the 2025 Formula 1 season before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who was originally overlooked by team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko.

It's the sixth teammate for Verstappen after he came to Red Bull after four races in 2016 when Daniil Kvyat was demoted to Toro Rosso, with Tsunoda starting his career at the team in front of his home fans at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Speaking to media in Suzuka, Verstappen defended Lawson and voiced his disapproval of the current format of the F1 calendar, saying the early stages of the season are a big challenge, especially for the rookies.

"People always say that Liam only did 11 races or something in total, but that was over a different period of time," the Dutchman started by saying

"Most of these tracks, they haven't really driven, or they mainly have a sprint weekend, so all these scenarios, they don't help."

Alex Albon said earlier on Thursday that the Red Bull car "is historically difficult to drive." Verstappen emphasises that it is difficult for him to assess whether that is the case: "Now, from my side, it's very difficult to say how difficult or how well the car drives because I've not really driven any other car in my career or been with another team, so I just adapt to the situation that I'm in to the best I can."