Yuki Tsunoda finally gets the raise he aimed for. According to multiple reports, the Japanese driver will be joining Red Bull Racing, replacing his previous Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson.
As reports suggest, the new change will be officially announced soon. It would be a dream come true for Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver will make his Red Bull debut at home in Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix. After two races in the 2025 F1 season, we already have the first change in the grid. Liam Lawson will be heading back to VCARB Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s junior team, to accompany fellow rookie Isack Hadjar.
In the Australian GP, Lawson crashed out of the race, ending up with a DNF. However, Lawson finished the Chinese GP but could not make it into the top ten. He finished at P16 and, therefore, could not secure any points for Red Bull Racing in the first two Grand Prix of the season. The substitution of Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda in the Red Bull driving seat marks an early shake-up in the lineup.
The Downfall of Liam Lawson
n a move that many report as “ruthless,” Liam Lawson heads back to Racing Bulls again. According to a BBC report, the decision was made by top Red Bull officials, including team principal Christian Horner. After the first two races, Liam Lawson admitted to his struggles with the RB21, saying:
I’d love to say I just need more time to drive the car, but obviously we don’t have that
After the Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was pressed about Lawson’s future. In the press conference, Horner said:
“Look, I think everything is purely speculative at the moment. As I say, we’ve just finished this race, we’re going to take away the info and have a good look at it.”
“I think Liam still has got potential, we’re just not realising that at the moment. I think the problem for him is he’s had a couple of really tough weekends and he’s got all the media on his back.
“The pressure just naturally grows in this business. I feel very sorry for him that he’s… you can see it’s very tough on him at the moment.“
“He’s a young guy, we’ve got a duty to look after him. We’re going to do the best that we can to support him. Liam’s still a very capable driver, we know that, we’re just not… for whatever reason, we’re not seeing him able to deliver that at the moment.”
LLiam Lawson’s exit from Red Bull Racing makes his stint one of the shortest. Since 2018, this is the fifth driver change by Red Bull Racing to accompany Max Verstappen. The change in the grid makes Liam Lawson another addition to the “Red Bull second driver curse,” where he joins Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, and Sergio Perez.
The Promotion of Yuki Tsunoda
The selection of Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda was heavily questioned by many, based on their experience on the circuit. After the Chinese GP, Tsunoda was asked if he would make the jump to Red Bull, where RB driver #22 said:
“Yeah, why not? Always. In Japan? Yeah, 100%. I mean, the car is faster.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s star driver Max Verstappen has reportedly stated that the problem does not lie in the driver but in the car itself. Yuki Tsunoda, however, has been performing with the sister team RB since 2021. He was considered the favorite to replace “Checo” Perez before Red Bull made the move to consider Lawson as the replacement.
The move was seen as a rather surprising one since Tsunoda edged past Lawson in almost every possible statistic. From experience on the circuit to qualifying and securing points on race day, Yuki Tsunoda has consistently outperformed Liam Lawson. In the Australian GP, Tsunoda scored a crucial three points for the Racing Bulls.
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