Lawson out, Tsunoda in - F1 in shock as Red Bull set to wield the axe
Liam Lawson lasts just two races after one of the most ruthless driver changes in F1 history
Red Bull bosses have come to one of the most extraordinary decisions in F1. After just two races, Liam Lawson is to be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda before the Japanese Grand Prix, with the 23 year old New Zealander dropping back into his old Racing Bulls seat.
An official announcement has not yet been made by Red Bull, although it is expected sometime before teams head to the Suzuka Circuit in early April.
How it came to this
Eyebrows were raised during the off-season when it was revealed that Lawson would replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull ahead of fellow Racing Bulls driver Tsunoda. Lawson had only joined Racing Bulls (then known as RB) mid-way through the season as a replacement for the outgoing Daniel Ricciardo and had only raced in 11 grands prix in total, while Tsunoda had completed four seasons with the Red Bull’s sister team, steadily improving in that time.
Fast forward to the end of the first two races of the 2025 season, and there had been acknowledgement from pundits, team officials including Helmut Marko and Liam Lawson himself, that the New Zealander’s form during the first two races was not at the required level. After crashing out in the rain during the first race in Melbourne, Lawson followed this with an improved P12 place finish in Shanghai, although during both races, he had failed to get out of Q1 during qualifying.
Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, was impressing for the Racing Bulls, qualifying fifth in Australia and eventually finishing P12. In China, a P6 finish in the sprint race was followed by a disappointing end to his Grand Prix challenge, finishing P16 after starting the race ninth on the grid.
When asked whether he would take a promotion to Red Bull mid-season, Tsunda said: "Yeah, why not? Always. In Japan? Yeah, 100%. I mean, the car is faster."
Rumours began to circulate during the weekend of the Chinese Grand Prix, with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf the first to publish an article about Tsunoda potentially replacing Lawson as soon as the Japanese Grand Prix. The sheer absurdity of those rumours meant that the majority of people took them with a pinch of salt. Just a handful of days later, they have proven to be correct
Red Bull’s thin patience
This sort of move isn’t new for Red Bull. The Milton Keynes-based team have acquired a reputation for swift replacements, whether that be at the end of a season or part way through the season itself, especially in their young driver programme. Those who are lucky enough to be given a seat next to Verstappen have to immediately hit the ground running at the front end of the grid. It is perhaps an impossible job, as Verstappen is widely regarded as one of the best drivers in motorsport history.
Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez will all be familiar with how Lawson is feeling, having experienced the same fate in their own unique way. However, none of those mentioned had been dispensed within such a short period of time. It is telling that while Lawson had expressed in an interview in China that he needed time to get to grips with the RB21, he acknowledged that he would be unable to receive it, such is Red Bull’s strong reputation for a lack of patience.
Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo have also suffered a similar fate in recent seasons by losing their seat at Red Bull’s sister team. The Dutch driver lost his season after ten races in 2023 and was replaced by Ricciardo. The Aussie then subsequently lost his season to Lawson mid-way through the 2024 season. This has led many to believe that it isn’t just a particular Red Bull Racing standard that needs to be met but instead more of a company-wide one.
Is it an issue with the car?
Despite his best efforts this season, Max Verstappen has stated that he believes his Red Bull car is the fourth fastest on the grid behind McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. The Dutchman has finished second and fourth in his first two races this season, which either dismisses that theory entirely or shows how good of a driver Verstappen is.
If it is the latter, then could Liam Lawson have done any more? We won’t have long to find out, with the Japanese Grand Prix set to provide the perfect litmus test to compare the strengths of the Red Bull and Racing Bulls cars.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Red Bull Content Pool