Liam Lawson Joins List of Short-Lived F1 Stints As Red Bull Drops Him After Two Races

After being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda at the senior Red Bull Racing squad, Liam Lawson’s brief tenure at Red Bull Racing will be remembered as the shortest driver stint in Formula 1 history. After just two races in the 2025 season, the New Zealander has been demoted back to Racing Bulls, making way for Yuki Tsunoda’s promotion to the senior team. (More Motorsport News)

While Lawson still retains a place on the grid, others in F1’s history have not been as fortunate. In 2006, Japanese driver Yuji Ide endured a similarly short-lived career, lasting just four races with Super Aguri before losing both his seat and his FIA super licence due to poor performances.

Dutchman Nyck de Vries had a promising start when he impressed as a stand-in for Williams in 2022, but his full-time opportunity with AlphaTauri in 2023 lasted only 10 races before he was replaced mid-season by Daniel Ricciardo.

Indian driver Karun Chandhok also had a tough break in 2010, losing his HRT seat after just 11 races to Japan’s Sakon Yamamoto. Meanwhile, Markus Winkelhock made a famous one-off appearance with Spyker in 2007, leading for a brief moment before retiring.

Andre Lotterer’s F1 career lasted just two laps with Caterham in 2014, while Ferrari’s decision to field Luca Badoer as a stand-in in 2009 resulted in a disappointing double appearance at the back of the grid.