Verstappen 'Likes' Post Slamming Red Bull's Treatment of Liam Lawson

Max Verstappen has seemingly criticized Red Bull's decision to drop Liam Lawson by 'liking' a post from former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde.

Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver, has expressed his apparent disagreement with the team's decision to drop Liam Lawson by “liking” a critical Instagram post. The post, written by former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde, questioned the team's move to demote Lawson just two rounds into the season..

Lawson's demotion means he will return to the Racing Bulls' sister outfit, swapping places with Yuki Tsunoda. As a result, Verstappen will have his third teammate in four races when the team heads to Japan next week. Van der Garde, a Dutch compatriot of Verstappen, shared his thoughts on the situation, stating, “I'm getting a bit tired of” the narrative surrounding the pressure to perform.

Van der Garde criticized the team's approach, suggesting that it prioritizes pressure over genuine athletic achievement. “Yes, you gotta perform. Yes, the pressure is insane. But in my opinion, this comes closer to bullying or a panic move than actual high athlete achievements,” he said, implying that the team's decision was overly harsh and potentially counterproductive.

Max Verstappen liked this post on Instagram about Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda swapping seats at Red Bull. pic.twitter.com/jWDwjjdgdS

— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 27, 2025

Giedo van der Garde has criticized Red Bull's decision to drop Liam Lawson after just two races, suggesting that the team deliberately set out to undermine the young driver's confidence. “They made a decision - fully aware - gave Liam two races only to crush his spirit,” Van der Garde wrote in his Instagram post.

Van der Garde acknowledged that Lawson had underperformed in his first two races, but argued that this did not justify the team's decision to demote him. “Don't forget the dedication, hard work and success Liam has put in his career so far to achieve the level where he is now... yes, he underperformed the first two races - but if anyone's aware of that it's himself,” Van der Garde said, urging Lawson to stay positive and focused.

Van der Garde offered words of encouragement to Lawson, advising him to “trust yourself, get your head up, prove them wrong.” The post resonated with several high-profile figures in the racing world, including Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, who both “liked” the post on Instagram. According to Dutch media reports, Verstappen was unhappy with the team's decision to drop Lawson, although he has not commented publicly on the matter.