Helmut Marko: Tsunoda is closer to Max than Lawson was

      Yuki Tsunoda spent four stages with Red Bull Racing, earning six points, while his teammate Max Verstappen scored 63 points for the same Grand Prix. Nevertheless, Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko believes that the replacement of Liam Lawson with Tsunoda has been justified.

      Helmut Marko: "The substitution was justified. He's much closer to Max in terms of speed than Liam was. He scored points in his second race with Red Bull. He performed brilliantly and proved that we did the right thing. When was the last time we scored points with two cars? I don't remember.

      Liam couldn't handle the pressure at Red Bull, so it was the right decision to put another driver behind the wheel. We knew what we were doing. At the same time, we did not abandon Liam – he still competes in Formula 1 at Racing Bulls. He was well received there, and his results improved.

      His career doesn't have to end because he was transferred from Red Bull. Pierre Gasly followed the same path, and now he is an experienced Formula 1 racer. Alex Elbon also failed to prove himself in our team, left for the DTM, and now plays for Williams.

      Moreover, I would not say that we demoted Liam. The difference between Racing Bulls and Red Bull is not that big."