Japanese Grand Prix: Social media backing of Lawson 'speaks for itself' – Verstappen
Max Verstappen feels his support of a social media post criticising Red Bull's handling of Liam Lawson "speaks for itself" ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Red Bull made a big early-season decision last week when they replaced second driver Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after just two races.
Lawson was elected to replace Sergio Perez but has now been demoted back to sister team Racing Bulls.
He crashed out of the season opener in Melbourne and then qualified last for both the sprint race and the grand prix itself in China, finishing 14th and 12th respectively.
After Red Bull confirmed their decision to drop Lawson, Verstappen liked a social media post from former Formula One driver Giedo van der Garde, which criticised the team's handling of the situation as a "panic move" and "close to bullying".
And Verstappen explained that liking the comment was no mistake.
"I liked the comment, the text, so I guess that speaks for itself, right," he said before the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, though he refused to expand too much.
"Everything has been shared with the team, how I think about everything.
"Sometimes it's not necessary, you know, to always share and say everything in public. I think it's better [not to]."
Four years on, and Yuki's still teaching Japanese to Max #F1 || #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/Q2eqS0QgPN
— Oracle Red Bull Racing | (@redbullracing) April 3, 2025
Verstappen feels Red Bull must focus on improving their car, which he sees as the fourth-best in F1 this season.
"[We have to] take a good look at ourselves and just keep on working and keep on improving the car," he said.
"It's hard because, I mean, for me, this is the only car that I know, right?
"But I think from what I see out there, it is a little bit more nervous, a little bit more, I would say, unstable in different corner phases, maybe. Well, maybe [than] some other of my team-mates have been used to before.
"Some bits, of course, are clearly faster than where they came from, but to just piece it all together probably is a bit harder."
Red Bull are third in the team standings after two races, while Verstappen ranks second in the driver's standings, eight points behind McLaren's Lando Norris.
Verstappen has won the last three races in Japan, though, and will be aiming to become the first driver in F1 history to win four successive Japanese Grands Prix.
His new partner Tsunoda, meanwhile, will be hoping for a strong start to his second-seat stint in a homecoming race.
Only two Japanese drivers have competed in more F1 races than Tsunoda (89), who will equal Takuma Sato on 90 this week.
Tsunoda will become Verstappen's fifth team-mate in the space of seven seasons.
"It's a bit unknown until I hit the track with him, but I'm sure it will be challenging, that's for sure," Tsunoda told Sky Sports.
"He's the greatest driver in the world currently, and we all know that he's good, but I just build up my pace, you know, and learn as much as possible from him, but a good advantage is, I already experienced five years in RB."
DRIVERS TO WATCH
Max Verstappen - Red Bull
Verstappen is out to avoid starting a season without a single pole position or victory across the first three races for the first time since 2020, when he went the opening four races without either a pole or a win.
The Dutchman is on a run of 15 straight races without a pole position, which is his worst run since a streak of 17 between the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2019 and the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
Red Bull, meanwhile, need just one more fastest lap to bring up 100 in F1, becoming the fifth team to hit that milestone. However, they managed just four fastest laps across the entirety of last season.
Lando Norris - McLaren
Norris is set to appear in his 131st grand prix, all of which have come with McLaren. He will equal Mika Hakkinen as the driver with the third-most appearances for the team.
He is just 12 laps away from leading for 400 across his F1 career, and would become the 47th driver to hit that milestone.
Indeed, if Norris leads for 49 of the 53 laps here, he will surpass Sergio Perez (389), Ralf Schumacher (401) and Denny Hulme (436) and move into 45th in the all-time standings for laps led.
Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, will hope to celebrate his 24th birthday in style. After his success in China, he is aiming to win back-to-back F1 races for the first time.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers'
1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 44
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 36
3. George Russell (Mercedes) - 35
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 34
5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 22
Constructors'
1. McLaren - 78
2. Mercedes - 57
3. Red Bull - 36
4. Williams - 17
5. Ferrari - 17