Christian Horner is not hiding his doubts about Liam Lawson's promotion to Red Bull in 2025. The team principal told ESPN that the New Zealand driver "really shouldn't have been promoted in the first place," a remarkably blunt assessment from someone responsible for the call.
Lawson's tenure at Red Bull turned out to be short-lived, and Horner's comments suggest the move was flawed from the start. This isn't Horner softening a bad outcome or offering diplomatic language. He's saying the decision itself was wrong.
The timing stings. Lawson was brought into the fold as a replacement option, but things apparently didn't work out. Instead of framing it as a developmental mismatch or circumstances beyond anyone's control, Horner pinned the blame on the promotion itself. That's notable because team principals rarely admit their personnel decisions were mistakes, let alone mistakes that should never have happened.
For Lawson, these comments from his own boss amount to a public vote of no confidence. For Red Bull, it raises questions about how thoroughly they evaluated him before pulling the trigger. The driver now faces the difficult task of rebuilding his reputation after Horner essentially said he wasn't ready for this seat to begin with.