After just two race weekends of the 2025 Formula One season, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have allegedly already swapped seats at Red Bull. With the next race weekend being Tsunoda's home race, can the Japanese driver handle the pressure?
Although not confirmed by the Red Bull team as of March 26th, a source from within the paddock told OverTake that Liam Lawson is reported to have been replaced by Yuki Tsunoda for the second Red Bull seat for the Japanese Grand Prix and beyond.
Liam Lawson, Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying.
Red Bull decided to take Lawson off the grid and start him from the pit lane, making what they called 'radical changes' to the car. This new setup was applied in hopes that Lawson could get a hold of his rambunctious RB21.
Once the lights went out and the race was underway, Liam quickly dispatched the Saubers and moved to 18th. And this would be roughly where he would stay for the entirety of the race. His eventual finishing position would be 15th on the road after a good battle with Haas driver Oliver Bearman.
Oliver Bearman vs Liam Lawson for position at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Lawson was classified in 12th place after the trio of disqualifications for the two Ferraris and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine. Although slightly better looking on paper, this result would do nothing for his performance and overall result. Currently sitting at the bottom of the championship on zero points coming into the third round, Lawson would inevitably be replaced by Honda's golden boy for the Japanese Grand Prix, it seemed.
Red Bull had guaranteed that they would look after Lawson and find the best way for him to grow as a driver and as part of their team. Demoting the New Zealander was always on the cards, but after two races, the decision could certainly be seen as rash.
Yuki Tsunoda, Chinese Grand Prix
According to reports, the difficulty was that Honda offered Red Bull an extra 10 million dollars to get Tsunoda suited up in navy, rather than white, for the 2025 season. Red Bull procrastinated and eventually went for Lawson.
The New Zealander certainly made his opinion clear on his Racing Bulls demotion and his Red Bull replacement, Yuki Tsunoda.
Yuki Tsunoda, Chinese Grand Prix pre-sprint grid.
Now that Lawson and Tsunoda have switched, can we assume that Honda returned to Red Bull with the same offer of 10 million? Or perhaps they put even more money to secure the move for their star man from Japan. But is this just going to be another link in the Red Bull chain of second drivers? Time will tell, but the 2025 season looks to be off to a spicy start already.
Let us know what you think in the comments down below. Is Yuki Tsunoda going to be Red Bull's first success story? Or is he simply another driver destined to fail in Max Verstappen's shadow? Join the discussion in our Formula One forum!
Although not confirmed by the Red Bull team as of March 26th, a source from within the paddock told OverTake that Liam Lawson is reported to have been replaced by Yuki Tsunoda for the second Red Bull seat for the Japanese Grand Prix and beyond.
Liam Lawson, Chinese Grand Prix Qualifying.
Lawson's Red Bull Career So Far
It was no secret that Liam Lawson had a dreadful start to the season at Red Bull—a DNF after a poor weekend in Australia and an even worse performance in China. Lawson was P20 after sprint qualifying and would return to the rear grid slot again for Grand Prix qualifying.Red Bull decided to take Lawson off the grid and start him from the pit lane, making what they called 'radical changes' to the car. This new setup was applied in hopes that Lawson could get a hold of his rambunctious RB21.
Once the lights went out and the race was underway, Liam quickly dispatched the Saubers and moved to 18th. And this would be roughly where he would stay for the entirety of the race. His eventual finishing position would be 15th on the road after a good battle with Haas driver Oliver Bearman.
Oliver Bearman vs Liam Lawson for position at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Lawson was classified in 12th place after the trio of disqualifications for the two Ferraris and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine. Although slightly better looking on paper, this result would do nothing for his performance and overall result. Currently sitting at the bottom of the championship on zero points coming into the third round, Lawson would inevitably be replaced by Honda's golden boy for the Japanese Grand Prix, it seemed.
Red Bull had guaranteed that they would look after Lawson and find the best way for him to grow as a driver and as part of their team. Demoting the New Zealander was always on the cards, but after two races, the decision could certainly be seen as rash.
Red Bull & Tsunoda
It is no secret why Yuki Tsunoda got his big break into Formula One in the first place. Honda wanted a Japanese driver on the grid and is paying Racing Bulls, and therefore Red Bull, millions of dollars to reserve a seat for Tsunoda.Yuki Tsunoda, Chinese Grand Prix
According to reports, the difficulty was that Honda offered Red Bull an extra 10 million dollars to get Tsunoda suited up in navy, rather than white, for the 2025 season. Red Bull procrastinated and eventually went for Lawson.
The New Zealander certainly made his opinion clear on his Racing Bulls demotion and his Red Bull replacement, Yuki Tsunoda.
Yuki Tsunoda, Chinese Grand Prix pre-sprint grid.
Now that Lawson and Tsunoda have switched, can we assume that Honda returned to Red Bull with the same offer of 10 million? Or perhaps they put even more money to secure the move for their star man from Japan. But is this just going to be another link in the Red Bull chain of second drivers? Time will tell, but the 2025 season looks to be off to a spicy start already.
Let us know what you think in the comments down below. Is Yuki Tsunoda going to be Red Bull's first success story? Or is he simply another driver destined to fail in Max Verstappen's shadow? Join the discussion in our Formula One forum!
