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Max Verstappen - Japanese Grand Prix (Photograph: Instagram)
The reigning world champion Max Verstappen comes for the support of his teammate Liam Lawson, just like he did for Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez last year. Liam’s poor performance in Australia and China sparked controversy regarding his stay with the senior Red Bull team. Lawson hasn't been able to perform well in the first two races as he had many issues with his RB21 car.
After the Chinese Grand Prix, there have been reports emerging all over the place regarding Lawson’s place in the Red Bull team. Multiple sources say Lawson will be swapped with Yuki Tsunoda from the 2025 F1 Japanese Grand Prix. There is still no official confirmation from Red Bull, but if the news is real, then Liam will be the driver with the shortest stint in Red Bull history.
Max unhappy with Red Bull's decision
Some reports say Max Verstappen is unhappy with Red Bull’s decision to swap the two drivers. The Dutchman wants Red Bull to give some time and wants Lawson to get backed. Red Bull is in no mood to listen to the world champion, and we are expecting official confirmation by the end of this week. Red Bull’s top officials met after the Chinese Grand Prix, and most of the members wanted Yuki Tsunoda as the second driver.
Red Bull is in an uncertain position now, where many people think Max Verstappen won't be driving a Red Bull car next year. Mercedes and Aston Martin have been in touch with Verstappen for many months, and Toto Wolff wants Verstappen in his Formula 1 team. The four-time world champion was originally meant to be a Mercedes driver in 2015.
They can't sign him as they already had Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as their drivers. Vertsappen was not interested in a reserve driver role, so he went to Red Bull and joined Torro Rosso with backing from Helmut Marko. The old man was also the reason for his Red Bull opportunity in 2016, so going to Mercedes or Aston Martin will be a tough decision for Max.
Also Read: Did Max Verstappen escape DQ at the Chinese GP? New Footage sparks doubts!