Fred Vasseur, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ferrari F1 boss delivers statement on controversial driver swap

Fred Vasseur gives his take on F1's recent driver swap

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 29 March 2025 14:59

Ferrari’s Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur delivered his opinion on Red Bull’s driver swap saga, prior to the confirmation that Yuki Tsunoda would be replacing Liam Lawson at the team.

After only two races with Red Bull, Lawson has been demoted back to Racing Bulls after two point-less outings in Australia and China, where he also failed to make it out of Q1 during qualifying on both occasions.

When asked by L’Equipe if he thought two races was too premature to sack Lawson, Ferrari boss Vasseur delivered his take on Red Bull’s decision, refusing to interfere.

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"Those are Red Bull stories. You don't know how difficult it is to judge what's going on in a team," he said.

"We don't know what's going on there, what leads them to this decision. There are twelve billion reasons behind it, that only the team and the driver know. And sometimes, the driver doesn't know them.

"So I prefer not to comment. It might seem brutal because it's been two races, but we don't have 10 per cent of the elements to judge. I hate it when people judge what we do, so I'm not going to do it for others.”

Should Red Bull have sacked Lawson?

Following Lawson’s exit, the 23-year-old released an emotional statement on social media where he revealed that the demotion was ‘tough’ but was grateful to Red Bull for providing the opportunity he had dreamed of since he was a kid.

Tsunoda will step into action with Red Bull straight away at next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, where he will hope to be in the fight in the top ten during his home race. However, the fate of the previous inhabitants of the second Red Bull seat could come to haunt him.

The Japanese star will be aware of the pressure of going up against Max Verstappen, and the present difficulties with the RB21, with the champion himself claiming that the Racing Bulls car is easier to drive than its sister team’s car.

Despite the pressure to perform, Helmut Marko has reportedly given Tsunoda a longer deadline to prove his abilities at Red Bull than Lawson and could have until the ‘end of the season’.

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Red Bull Ferrari Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson Fred Vasseur