Christian Horner Delivers Brutal Verdict on Liam Lawson at Red Bull

Since being unceremoniously fired last year, former Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has generally stayed off the radar, despite numerous reports linking him with a return to F1.

However, he recently returned to the public eye in order to promote his new book, which is due to be officially released next week.

Horner’s autobiography, entitled ‘Drive’, will be a must-read for anyone who wants all the juicy details of his time at Red Bull, including his relationship with all the drivers and staff he dealt with over the years and, ultimately, his exit from the team.

Advance copies of the book are already in circulation and one extract from it reveals exactly how Horner really feels about Liam Lawson’s brief first stint as a Red Bull driver.

Liam Lawson’s Red Bull Career Explored

Jakub Porzycki via Reuters

The New Zealander raced under Horner and Red Bull for only two races in 2025, after being promoted from junior team, Racing Bulls. Lawson was brought up to partner Max Verstappen after a long search to replace Sergio Perez, who was sacked at the end of 2024 campaign.

The likes of Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso were linked with the role, but both didn’t work out, leaving the team with limited options. As a result, the call was made to hand the seat to Lawson.

Unfortunately for the Kiwi, in his only two races as a permanent Red Bull driver. Lawson failed to score any points. He debuted with a DNF in Australia and a 12th place finish in China.

His teammate Max Verstappen, on the other hand, had managed to score a podium in Australia and a fourth place finish in China.

Those disappointing results were enough to see Lawson sent back down to Racing Bulls. Addressing the decision to promote Lawson in his new book, Horner wrote:

“I didn’t feel comfortable with it. He was young and inexperienced, with only eleven Formula 1 races under his belt, and we were asking an enormous amount of him.”

The 52-year-old went on to deliver a damning 11-word summary of Lawson’s time at Red Bull, declaring:

“Actually, he should never have been promoted in the first place!”

Since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo from the team in 2019, Red Bull have consistently struggled to fill the role of Verstappen’s number two. The latest driver to fill the seat is Isack Hadjar, who is doing far better than some of his predecessors at present.

However, when Hadjar suffered a wrist injury during the summer break, Lawson was once again handed the chance to drive for Red Bull, standing in for Hadjar.

Liam Lawson Still Without an F1 Seat in 2027

REUTERS/Marton Monus

Across his three races back in a Red Bull car, Lawson picked up 14 points. He’s continued his good form since returning to Racing Bulls as well. The 24-year-old currently sits ninth in the Drivers’ Championship with 75 points under his belt.

Despite his creditable showings in 2026, Lawson is still yet to secure a seat for 2027, with it yet to be announced if he will drive again for Racing Bulls next season.

With so much uncertainty surrounding Lawson’s future, Horner’s comments could have hardly come at a worse time.