Driver Change at Red Bull: Tsunoda Replacing Lawson for Japanese Grand Prix

Red Bull is expected to substitute Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda starting from the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, after just two races in the Formula 1 season.

Lawson will be moved back to Racing Bulls, the team`s junior program, from the Suzuka race. This is a direct swap with Tsunoda, following Lawson`s challenging beginning at Red Bull as Max Verstappen`s teammate.

Red Bull has not officially commented, and no formal announcement is anticipated on Wednesday.

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Lawson, 23, has had a tough start to the 2025 season. He was eliminated in the first qualifying stage in all three sessions (including a Sprint format) and has struggled with race pace compared to Verstappen, failing to score points in Australia and China.

Liam Lawson`s Red Bull Results

Tsunoda has been with the Red Bull-owned junior team since 2021. He was considered to replace Sergio Perez, who was initially expected to leave F1 in 2025.

He will become Verstappen`s fifth teammate since Daniel Ricciardo`s departure at the end of 2018.

Max Verstappen`s Teammates at Red Bull

Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon also had short and unsuccessful periods as Verstappen`s teammates after being promoted from the Red Bull junior program. However, Lawson`s time at the main team has been surprisingly brief.

Why the Sudden Change by Red Bull?

Analysis:

`Red Bull gives and Red Bull takes away.`

`Christian Horner mentioned last year that Liam Lawson`s mental strength was a key factor in choosing him over Yuki Tsunoda for the Red Bull seat. Lawson will now need to rely on that mental strength.

`This might seem harsh, but could removing him from the intense pressure be beneficial in the long run? He has struggled more than expected to adapt to the car.

`People who have observed Lawson over the first two race weekends have described him as `frazzled`, `at a loss`, and feeling `too much too soon`. His qualifying results, though from a small sample, are significantly worse than the team`s usual performance; 18th and two 20ths in qualifying are not typical for Red Bull.

`However, there is no guarantee that Yuki Tsunoda will immediately perform much better and be close to Max Verstappen in qualifying. The team`s priority is still to provide Verstappen with a winning car, even if only he can fully utilize it, rather than adjusting the car to improve the second driver`s performance.`

Lawson In, Lawson Out – What Went Wrong So Quickly?

Lawson was promoted on December 19, taking Sergio Perez`s seat, after Perez`s continued struggles despite having a two-year contract extension earlier that year.

Tsunoda had completed his fourth season at Racing Bulls, while Lawson had only participated in 11 grands prix over the previous 15 months. During that period, Tsunoda had outqualified and outscored Lawson.

However, Red Bull reportedly gave Lawson the seat because they believed he was better suited to the challenge of being Verstappen`s teammate. Despite his limited F1 experience compared to Tsunoda, Lawson had shown similar pace to Tsunoda at Racing Bulls and was considered to have greater potential.

Lawson`s difficulties with the RB21 in the first two race weekends have led to a rapid and unexpected reassessment. Tsunoda will now get his opportunity at the main team starting from Suzuka, his home race.

After Lawson`s poor qualifying and non-scoring finishes in Shanghai, team principal Christian Horner commented: `I think Liam still has potential, but we are not seeing it currently. The problem for him is the pressure is mounting, and he`s facing media scrutiny.

`The pressure naturally increases in this sport, and I sympathize with him. It`s clearly very tough for him right now.`

`He`s a young driver, and we have a responsibility to support him, which we will do to the best of our ability.`

`Liam is still a very capable driver. We know this, but for some reason, he`s not able to demonstrate it at the moment.`

Tsunoda, in contrast, has had a strong start to the season for Racing Bulls.

The 24-year-old qualified fifth and ninth in Australia and China, respectively, and scored points with a sixth-place finish in the Chinese Sprint race. He likely would have scored points in both main grands prix as well, but team strategy decisions affected his results.