Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has dropped a heavy hint that Liam Lawson's immediate future with the team will be clarified on Thursday, casting a shadow over the young driver's prospects.
Sources suggest that the 23-year-old New Zealander has already been informed of his fate, a decision reportedly finalised in Dubai on Tuesday by Red Bull's ownership alongside team bosses.
When pressed for details, Marko told Osterreich newspaper on Wednesday: "Please be patient until tomorrow."
From Suzuka onwards, Yuki Tsunoda is widely tipped to take Lawson's place, with Lawson sliding back to Racing Bulls. After Shanghai last Sunday, Tsunoda boldly stated he's prepared to tackle the "monster" that is Max Verstappen.
Yet many paddock voices doubt Tsunoda will thrive where Lawson faltered, citing the RB21's tricky handling—seemingly tailored to the unique skills of four-time world champion Verstappen.
Even Verstappen, however, has yet to notch a victory with the RB21 in 2025, a drought that has Marko fretting about losing the Dutch star to a competitor. "Max wants to win," the 81-year-old Austrian noted. "And he wants to feel like he's doing his utmost to achieve that.
"If he doesn't have that feeling, there's a risk he'll take a different approach."
Should Verstappen walk away, Red Bull could face a scramble to land a top-tier replacement—especially after Lawson's dismal Shanghai weekend, where he languished at the rear of the field.
"Red Bull, it has to be acknowledged, would already have sunk into mediocrity if they didn't have Max," former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher remarked to Sky Deutschland.
He believes team principal Christian Horner's job could be on shaky ground. "Horner is already controversial," Schumacher said. "He has simply failed to hold together the winning combination at Red Bull with his personal issues. This ultimately led to Adrian Newey and other key people leaving the team.
"Now he's getting his comeuppance. This will be a huge problem. I lack the imagination to believe that Red Bull will get out of this slump. Pierre Wache has had a year to figure it out after Newey left. If anything, it's only gotten worse over the winter.
"I think something will happen soon. I hear in the background that Jos Verstappen is fuming."
Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reports that Verstappen opposes the move to ditch Lawson, while ex-Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos suspects his compatriot is mentally checking out.
"I think Max is a bit too relaxed about the whole situation," he told Ziggo Sport. "I think Max is secretly saying goodbye to the team."
