Ever since the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, there have been several rumours suggesting that Red Bull will swap Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place on 6th April 2025. Now, the rumours seems to have become news as several reports have come out saying that it is a done deal, awaiting official confirmation.
We are just 2 races into the 2025 season, and Red Bull is already making a change in their driver lineup. According to the Telegraaf, the decision to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda has already been made by Red Bull management. Although there is no official confirmation yet, there are several reports coming out suggesting the same.
Yuki Tsunoda gets the Red Bull seat for his home Grand Prix
As Yuki prepares to make his 4th appearance in his home race in Suzuka, it looks like he’ll be making it with Red Bull’s RB21. There will be a tremendous amount of pressure on Tsunoda to perform in front of his home crowd. But he has been preparing for this moment for the last 4 years in F1.
🚨BREAKING:
Liam Lawson will be replaced at Red Bull Racing by Yuki Tsunoda from the #JapaneseGP weekend!
[📰 @telegraaf ]#F1
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 25, 2025
Last weekend, in Shanghai, he was asked if he would step into the RB21 if given the opportunity. To no one’s surprise, he said yes. There has been a lot of praise for Tsunoda’s performance at the Racing Bulls this year. He has been qualifying in the top 10 consistently. Although he has not finished a race in the top 10, his driving has been well above expectations from the team.
Lawson, on the other hand, has been knocked out of Q1 on all the Qualifying sessions this year, including the Sprint Qualifying in Shanghai. He has also not been able to make progress during the races. This has prompted Red Bull to make the change for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Yuki Tsunoda’s biggest concern with the RB21
In past years, the driver piloting the 2nd Red Bull seat has not fared well. We saw Gasly, Albon, Perez, and now Lawson all get kicked out of the team due to their poor performances. So, what is Tsunoda heading into?
The fact is that the RB21 has a very small window of performance. Since 2019, we have only seen Max Verstappen perform well in the Red Bull cars. So, if he is heading to Red Bull, the question is how he is going to adjust to the car.
Liam Lawson’s Seat at Red Bull Hangs by a Thread After 2025 Struggles
One other question that remains is, who will pilot Tsunoda’s VCARB? After the Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull’s team advisor, Helmut Marko, was seen heading into the Alpine hospitality. This sparked speculations suggesting that Marko is looking to recruit Franco Colapinto to replace Tsunoda.
However, this seems unlikely, as Alpine will want Colapinto all to themselves. There was also a chance for Alpine to replace Jack Doohan with the Argentine driver. Hence, it is likely that Lawson will head back into the VCARB for the rest of the season if Tsunoda is to drive the RB21 in Japan.
With so many potential in-season changes in the driver lineups happening, it’s hard to believe that we are just 2 races into the season. We still have 22 races of excitement to go. What do you think about Tsunoda potentially replacing Lawson in Red Bull? Is this something Red Bull should have done in the first place? Or is it unfair towards Lawson that he is being let go by the team after just 2 races? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
