Editor's Desk: Perez is owed an apology

Perez struggled last year to extract performance out of Red Bull's RB20 and, as a result, finished the championship in eighth place while Verstappen was crowned champion.

Red Bull Racing, on the other hand, lost out on the constructors' title to McLaren as Perez could not deliver the required points in the sister car, as the Mexican was ripped into by the team, the media... You name it.

As a result, and following an in-season test, Christian Horner and Co. decided that Liam Lawson would replace Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls, which was the stepping stone for the Kiwi to become Verstappen's teammate in 2025, as Dr. Helmut Marko claimed Tsunoda's volatility played against him.

Fast forward a few months, and the 2025 Red Bull RB21 appears to have inherited the nastiness of its predecessor, and surprise, surprise: Lawson cannot drive it as well.

And while Red Bull Racing's management should have taken their time to re-evaluate the situation, they made another knee-jerk reaction, demoting Lawson to the Racing Bulls with Tsunoda, who appears to have suddenly developed enough mental fortitude, finally getting to drive for the senior team.

Red Bull Racing's justified decision to fire Perez after a full season of underperformance is now under the spotlight, but giving Lawson the boot after just two races is simply inexplicable, especially when Verstappen himself has been vocal about the shortcomings of the RB21.

Furthermore, that casts doubt on the team's initial decision to place Lawson in the hot seat because that should've been based on data and telemetry of the New Zealander, which would've been naturally compared with those of Tsunoda, with Marko's favorite variable, mental strength, factored in.

But it seems two races have apparently been enough to flip the situation upside down for Red Bull, with Tsunoda now becoming the right candidate.

That is not the best way to ensure both Red Bull Racing and the Racing Bulls have a stable 2025 F1 campaign. Now Lawson has to get reacquainted with the Faenza squad, while Tsunoda will need to learn how to tame the bull.

How much time will Tsunoda be given? And what if he bombs as well? Who will Red Bull try next? Maybe give Perez a call to come back?

A few positive; Lawson can regain his mojo at Racing Bulls, and this move will help Tsunoda to get the Red Bull seat itch out of his system. If he delivers, good on him.

If he doesn't, maybe Red Bull finally realize the drivers were not the problem all the way...

But in all cases, Perez, who is no doubt now chuckling as he watches F1 on TV, is owed an apology...