Montoya on Lawson: How can you make a decision on two races? 

Montoya warned that the champion Formula 1 team risks repeating the same mistakes that derailed Sergio Perez’s career. This was after Red Bull confirmed the move following widespread media reports after the Chinese Grand Prix. From the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix onwards, Tsunoda will step up to the senior team while Lawson will return to Racing Bulls.

The decision ends a two-race and difficult spell for Lawson at Red Bull, who was promoted for the opening two races of the season but failed to make a significant impression.

Reacting to the saga, Montoya said: “Red Bull needed to give Liam Lawson more time, yes. How can you make a decision on two races? It amazes me that they think it is just a driver issue, not a car issue, or an engineering issue, or a core group issue. How ruthless do you need to be to go?

“Then I go back to the same question, then how good was Checo Perez then? Because he could do a pretty decent job on that car. His career was killed because we all at the time thought Checo was the problem. We were asking, ‘What the hell is wrong with Checo?’ Now you look back at it and you go, ‘My God, it was the bloody car.’”

Montoya believes Red Bull’s current dominance is built around Verstappen, and that without him the car would be far less competitive: “If for some reason Max were to leave Red Bull this year, the car would be racing behind the Racing Bulls. I think the sister team would be more compatible. I think the Red Bull is a quick car, but everything is geared to Max.”

Sources indicate that Honda played a key role in facilitating the change, backing Tsunoda with financial and political support to secure a seat at Red Bull Racing.

As Honda prepares for its final season supplying engines to Red Bull before linking up with Aston Martin in 2026, placing Tsunoda alongside Verstappen is seen as a final push to validate their long-time support for the Japanese driver.

Tsunoda’s first race for Red Bull will be in front of his home fans at the Japanese Grand Prix. While the occasion promises to be historic, it also raises the pressure significantly. A strong result could secure his long-term future, but a difficult debut could quickly turn the tide against him.

Montoya explained the structural flaws in how Red Bull manages its two-car setup: “Where it goes wrong is that you have two cars, and you have two teams. You can't expect the ‘B’ car to show up with the same setup as the 'A' car when you have two completely different drivers.

“You need to have a driver strong enough to stand up to the engineer. You can see how an engineer would say, ‘We see the way Max is braking and the way you're braking. And the way Max releases the brakes and the way you release the brakes shows you’re doing it wrong.’

“For an engineer, it's much easier to blame the driver and cover their arse than step up to the plate and hold their hands up. Someone high enough in Red Bull needs to have the balls to say, ‘We're doing it wrong.’ They need to admit that what they’re doing for Max is right, but is wrong for the other drivers.”

Montoya said the solution lies in building dual philosophies around the drivers, even if the car specification remains the same: “They need to have two philosophies on the cars to be able to be competitive. I'm not saying changing the car specs, but how you unload the car, how you just set up your run. If Yuki wants to be competitive, he's going to have to spend so many hours in the simulator.”

On Lawson’s recent struggles and earlier attitude towards Perez, Montoya was frank: “You could hear Liam saying, ‘the car felt good for a lap and then it went to shit.’ You need to be able to trust your team and your drivers. Management needs to go, okay, we're not going to get Checo back.

"We know Liam can perform because he's done it in the Racing Bulls. They need to explore this over the long term because if Max leaves the team, the drop-off in Red Bull performance is not going to be pretty to watch.”

Montoya echoed what several pundits have said: “Lawson has an arrogance problem and hasn’t been able to deliver. He’s been humbled after confronting Perez last season. I think right now his reputation is not good. You can see all the memes on social media.

"He's very cocky. A little arrogance is OK. But the problem is that when you're arrogant, you need to deliver. You need to back it up. This was a real slap in the face for him. The Mexicans will love this because he gave Checo the middle finger last year because supposedly Perez was a terrible driver."

Montoya continued: “Now you see them in the same car and he's worse than Perez. It’s been a very humbling experience for Liam. I think it will help him put everything into perspective. If he doesn’t panic and if he stays in the moment and just goes and drives the car, I think Liam can do a really good job.”

Turning his attention to Tsunoda, Montoya believes the Japanese driver has a crucial chance to impress at his home race: “I see Suzuka as an opportunity for Tsunoda more than anything else.

“If he even half performs it's way better than what Liam was doing. If Max qualifies fourth and Tsunoda qualifies 12th, it's way better than what Liam was doing and what Checo was doing.

“It’s his home race, somewhere where he's raced a lot, he knows well, and where he performs well. And if for some reason he can drive the car and be close to Max, my God, his career is off. His future would be assured to a point where Red Bull would be forced to sign him long-term.”

Despite Tsunoda’s promotion, Montoya admitted he would have gone in a different direction: “I would have put Isack Hadjar in the Red Bull, more than Yuki Tsunoda. He would have been my choice. If I was Red Bull, I would have stated publicly that they were signing Hadjar for two years and guarantee him the seat without question whatever happens."

Regarding the new deal, Montoya said: One year? Two years? I think it's for the whole season. Choosing Tsunoda now is an admission they got it wrong last year.”

Montoya suggests that Verstappen’s dominance is due to a car built entirely around him: “Actually, I don't think the Red Bull car is that bad. It’s built for Max in a way he makes it look amazing. But the car is built for him. Everything is done for him, for his driving, to his liking.

“You don't see Max struggling with the car. He can drive the car and while the car might not drive great, he can drive it. When you have somebody comfortable, and somebody that is not, it's a big difference and that right there is the problem at Red Bull.

“You have somebody who is very in tune with the car that has been there for a long time and understands the philosophy and can drive it and then you have somebody who comes from a team with a completely different philosophy. It takes time to get used to it and it takes time to adapt the drive to it," explained the 49-year-old Colombian, a seven-time Grand Prix winner.