Max Verstappen has explained his opposition to Red Bull's decision to drop Liam Lawson after just two grands prix in 2025.
With 11 grands prix to his name, Red Bull elected to promote Lawson from Racing Bulls to replace Sergio Perez for 2025, but he was dropped after two races in Australia and China.
Lawson had never driven at either Albert Park or Shanghai in F1, and with the RB21 proving a tricky machine at the start of the year, his fate was sealed after the Chinese weekend.
He was sent back to Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda going the other way as Lawson rebuilt himself and will be on the grid next season as team leader alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad.
Detailing his reaction to Lawson's axe, Verstappen has described how he felt two races, at unfamilar tracks, was not a strong sample with which to make a decision on Lawson.
"In the end, not that much," Verstappen began to explain to Viaplay of his concerns about who drives alongside him.
"But two races as a team-mate, I didn't agree with that at the time.
"You kill someone's chance at a top team, but I have to say that Liam did recover well at Racing Bulls.
"You can also say: 'Leave it all be, but two races is way too early to make a choice."
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