Yuki Tsunoda took the news of losing the 2025 Red Bull Racing seat to Liam Lawson "relatively calmly," according to team advisor Dr Helmut Marko.
Marko confirmed that the decision was made after thorough discussions among Red Bull officials and shareholders following the Abu Dhabi season finale. Ultimately, the 22-year-old New Zealander Lawson's performance and potential edged out the more experienced Tsunoda.
"He's in Japan right now, and I spoke to him on the phone," Marko told f1-insider.com, referring to Tsunoda. "He took the news relatively calmly. I told him to keep pushing hard with the Racing Bulls and then we'll see what happens. It was a positive reaction."
Marko admitted it was a difficult choice.
"In principle, it was a luxury problem—both would have deserved the promotion," he explained. "But Lawson may have more room for improvement in the future. His mental strength in particular was the deciding factor in the end."
Red Bull boss Christian Horner echoed those sentiments, calling the decision "daunting" but noting that Lawson's "pace was a little bit better" in their recent Racing Bulls (RB) head-to-head.
"What struck me most about Liam is that you put him in a tough situation and he copes. He has a tough racing mentality and he's not afraid to fight wheel-to-wheel and even use contact if necessary," said Horner. "So I think he will do a great job for us."
Former RB team boss Franz Tost had advice for Lawson as he steps into Sergio Perez's shoes alongside Max Verstappen.
"All I can say about Liam is that he has to do his own thing and never try to compete with Max," said Tost. "Max is far from past his prime and has endless capacity. And he now has the self-confidence of a four-time world champion.
"If Liam focuses on Max's times, it will go wrong for him. He must only think about himself and try to improve the car together with Max. Anything else would be fatal and doomed to failure," Tost added.
Lawson, meanwhile, admitted that Red Bull's notoriously tough approach to driver management has prepared him for the challenge.
"Ah, the phone calls from Helmut when I was about 16," he recalled. "He always put the pressure on straight away.
"You just knew that if you didn't perform, you'd be fired. That's definitely tough, but it really prepares you for Formula 1."
