Liam Lawson: Red Bull set to replace New Zealander with Yuki Tsunoda for Japanese Grand Prix
Liam Lawson has failed to score points in the first two races of the season
Red Bull are set to drop Liam Lawson after just two races and replace him for the next grand prix in Japan with Yuki Tsunoda.
The decision was reached by Red Bull bosses, including team principal Christian Horner, at a meeting in Dubai on Monday, insiders have told BBC Sport.
It is expected to be formally confirmed later this week by Red Bull, who refused to comment.
Red Bull have long been renowned for the ruthlessness with which they handle their young driver programme.
Even in that context, the way they have dealt with Lawson has caused widespread disbelief in Formula 1.
The move, first confirmed by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, comes after a dire start to Lawson’s Red Bull career.
The New Zealander qualified 18th at the opening race of the season in Australia, before crashing out of the race in the rain.
In China last weekend, he qualified last for both the sprint and the grand prix, and finished the two races 14th and 12th.
His average qualifying deficit to team-mate Max Verstappen has been 0.88 seconds. Verstappen finished second in Australia, third in the sprint in Shanghai and fourth in the Chinese Grand Prix.
Lawson will return to Red Bull’s second team, Racing Bulls, alongside French rookie Isack Hadjar.
Japanese driver Tsunoda was asked at the Chinese Grand Prix whether he would accept the promotion to Red Bull if it was offered.
He said: “Yeah, why not? Always. In Japan? Yeah, 100%. I mean, the car is faster.”
When the scenario was put to Lawson, he responded: “I’ve raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him – and I did in F1 as well, so he can say whatever he wants.”
Lawson was promoted to Red Bull this season following the team’s decision to pay off Sergio Perez, despite the Mexican having two years remaining on his contract.
That decision was made after a difficult 2024 for Perez, who failed to finish on the podium after the fifth race of the season.
Perez’s performances contributed to the team finishing third in the constructors’ championship last year, behind McLaren and Ferrari.
As Perez’s slump in 2024 had mirrored a similar pattern of performance in 2023, Red Bull decided the time had come to get rid of him.
They had the choice between Lawson and Tsunoda as a replacement and chose the New Zealander, despite the fact he had completed just 11 grands prix split over two seasons – whereas Tsunoda has raced for the company since 2021.
Red Bull’s decision ‘extraordinary’
The decision to promote Lawson to Red Bull, alongside Max Verstappen, after just 11 grands prix spread across two seasons was already questionable.
To demote him back to second team Racing Bulls after just two races in a swap with Tsunoda – who was passed over only three months ago – is, quite simply, extraordinary.
It raises serious questions about Red Bull’s management, primarily team principal Horner.
It was Horner’s decision to offer a new two-year contract to Sergio Perez last May even though the Mexican was starting to struggle in the second Red Bull – just as he had through the second half of 2023.
He did that despite Carlos Sainz being available following Ferrari’s signing of Lewis Hamilton for 2025.
After Perez’s performances slumped through the remainder of 2024, the decision was made to terminate his contract. That resulted in a pay-off of many millions of dollars.
And rather than pick Tsunoda, who had four years’ experience and had edged Lawson as a team-mate, they picked the New Zealander, apparently because of his mental fortitude.
Now they have to find a way to justify this series of decisions – and the almost unprecedented one to dump Lawson after so little time to bed himself in.
To many, it will smack of a team in denial about the size of the problem they have with their car. And a lack of understanding of what to expect when picking drivers who are yet to prove they are world class as the team-mate of a champion of genius level and expecting them to perform in a car with fundamental problems.
Poor performances led to Lawson’s downfall
Lawson was one of six drivers to retire from the season-opening race in Australia
Lawson took part in six races in 2023 as a substitute for Daniel Ricciardo when the Australian broke his hand in a crash, scoring points with a ninth-place finish in Singapore.
And last year he competed in five races after Ricciardo was dropped following the Singapore Grand Prix, taking points for ninth-place finishes in the US and Sao Paulo Grands Prix.
Tsunoda out-qualified Lawson by a ratio of four times to two in 2023 and seven times to two in 2024. In races, Tsunoda has been ahead six times against four when both have finished.
Red Bull chose Lawson on the basis they believed the Japanese lacked the mental toughness to survive at Red Bull alongside Verstappen, while his fellow driver had more potential to improve.
They had been planning to wait until at least the Japanese Grand Prix before making a call because it is the first track on this year’s calendar at which Lawson has previous experience.
But in the end Lawson’s poor performances have led to his downfall after just two races.
Verstappen is said by insiders to believe the decision is an error, on the basis that the problem is Red Bull’s car – not the second driver.
The Dutchman has said the 2025 Red Bull is the fourth quickest car – behind rival top teams McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.
The car continues to have balance problems which hampered the team last year and meant Verstappen won only two of the final 14 races of last year, before fighting off a late assault from McLaren’s Lando Norris to win his fourth world title.
