Red Bull’s Mintzlaff: Decision to demote Lawson ‘justified’

Red Bull GmbH managing director Oliver Mintzlaff has backed Christian Horner and Helmut Marko’s decision to demote Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls after just two races.

The Kiwi failed to impress Red Bull’s top brass after his opening two-race stint with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, which led to a straightforward swap between Lawson and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Despite some backlash over how swiftly the situation was handled, Mintzlaff has publicly supported the decision, calling it justified.

“I understand them [Horner and Marko] and find them justified. Nevertheless, it was the right step,” the German executive told Bild.

“Formula 1 is a high-performance sport and his performance was not right. It would have been wrong to keep Liam in the car.

“With the ever-increasing pressure, we wouldn't have done him any favors. In the end, he also understood and accepted that. We are happy that we now have him back with the Racing Bulls.”

Since his return to Racing Bulls, Lawson has finished 17th, 16th, and 12th in his three races, highlighting the gap Red Bull felt they needed to close at the top level.

An Extreme Hunger for Titles

While Red Bull continues to dominate headlines, the team faces real challenges on track.

Despite Max Verstappen securing pole position and a second-place finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri clinched the race win and now sits atop the drivers’ standings.

Even with Lando Norris suffering a crash in qualifying, McLaren's pace is keeping Red Bull on the defensive early this season.

Still, Mintzlaff remains optimistic.

“I see how self-critical the team is with itself and the situation, and puts everything to the test,” he said. “Despite the successful past years, you can feel the greed for success.

“Everyone wants to win here and get back to the top. I have full confidence that this can succeed. Much of the team that has been responsible for the success of the past few years is the same as it is now.

“They haven't forgotten how to build or tune a Formula 1 car over the winter break.”

Read also:

• ‘Sad and puzzled’: Lawson’s emotional return to Racing Bulls revealed

Mintzlaff added: “I don't see us as blatant outsiders. Anyone who knows Red Bull knows that we have an extreme hunger for titles.

“So once again: The Formula 1 season is long. Nobody knows which team will develop its car and how well.

“It's clear that we're not the hunted at the moment. It was a bad start, but I'm far from questioning everything. That would be actionism – and actionism has never achieved anything in sport.

“I know that from football. There are people who think they can walk on water if they have won four or five games in a row. And if they lose four or five games, everything is called into question. We do not fall into these extremes.”

In Germany, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher made headlines by suggesting that Verstappen could soon leave Red Bull if competitiveness doesn’t improve. But Mintzlaff shrugged off the speculation.

“I have a good relationship with Ralf,” he said. “He does his job and we focus on ourselves. But no one has to worry that we at Red Bull have sleepless nights because of his statements.”

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