Liam Lawson is set to be dropped by Red Bull after just two races of the 2025 F1 season – with Yuki Tsunoda in line to replace him for his home race in Japan next week.
New Zealand racer Lawson, 23, has endured a torrid opening two races as Max Verstappen’s teammate: he crashed out of the season-opening Australian GP and qualified last on the grid, twice, in China. He finished the grand prix in 12th, after three post-race disqualifications.
The writing looked somewhat on the wall on Sunday night when Red Bull team principal Christian Horner refused to rule out an early-season swap, with Racing Bulls driver Tsunoda the obvious candidate to step up.
Now, it seems inevitable that Tsunoda, 24, will indeed swap spots with Lawson for the grand prix in Suzuka next week. While nothing is confirmed from Red Bull yet, The Independent understands an official announcement is expected later this week, with details still to be ironed out.
A meeting this week between senior Red Bull figures at the Dubai home of Red Bull major shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya has seemingly resulted in Lawson’s two-race stint coming to an end.
The move would see Lawson drop down to the sister team, Racing Bulls, and partner Isack Hadjar from race three onwards.
Lawson himself acknowledged in China that he did “not have time” on his side as he looked to turn around his form, but nonetheless, it is a huge shock just two races into a 24-race season.
“There’s always going to be speculation in the paddock,” Horner said, when asked whether Red Bull could make a change for Japan (4-6 April).
“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.”
Lawson was promoted in December to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull, with the Kiwi receiving the nod ahead of Japanese driver Tsunoda despite just 11 grand prix starts to his name.
Tsunoda, meanwhile, has raced for Red Bull’s sister team – with the backing of Japanese automotive giant Honda – since the 2021 season.
In China, Horner added that he “feels very sorry” for Lawson at the moment, as he struggles to adapt to the RB21 car.
“I think Liam still has got potential, we’re just not realising that at the moment,” he said.
“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.”
Pressed further on whether Tsunoda, who qualified ninth on the grid but finished outside of the points in China, would be the “prime candidate” to replace Lawson, Horner replied: “I’m not even going to comment on a change, because that will be your first headline.
“As I say, we’re two races into this championship, we have a sample of two [races]. We have quite a bit of information, so we’re going to go away and have a good look at it, work with Liam, and do the best we can for him.
“There’s so much info [available], how he’s adapted driving the car, what he’s getting from the car, what we can do to help, where were his major issues, what’s causing the inconsistency… all of those issues.”