Red Bull Racing didn't have the best start to the 2025 season, showing a level far removed from what they had at the end of last season in Formula 1. With Liam Lawson at the helm of the second car, rumors of a possible driver change exploded after the Chinese Grand Prix, just the second race of the year.
With Yuki Tsunoda as the main candidate to take his seat and Franco Colapinto on Racing Bulls' radar if the Japanese driver's move is confirmed, the situation in the Austrian team became even more tense after Lawson replied harshly to his former teammate, who had claimed that he would be faster in his place.
Lawson le respondió a Tsunoda y lo menospreció
After his poor performance in Shanghai, where he qualified last and finished 12th following the disqualification of three drivers, the New Zealander replied: "I've raced against him for years, I raced him in lower categories and beat him, and I did it in F1 too, so he can say what he wants," he told Motorsport.
Lawson also acknowledged the urgency to improve his performance: "Unfortunately, I don't have time to get used to it, but I need to learn to handle it as soon as possible. I don't have time to test the car and get used to it, but we're already in the middle of the season, so we're losing points in every race. That's what I mean more or less when I say I don't have time," stated the newly 23-year-old driver.
A history that contradicts Lawson
While Lawson and Tsunoda have faced each other in several categories, the numbers don't reflect the dominance the New Zealander suggests. In the 2019 Euroformula Open, Lawson finished second and Tsunoda fourth. However, that same year, the Japanese driver beat him in the F3 Championship, which allowed him to move up to F2 in 2020.
Tsunoda y Lawson pasaron de amigos a rivales por un puesto en Red Bull
In the 2020 Toyota Racing Series, Lawson defeated both Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto, but in Formula 1, the Japanese driver outperformed him significantly when they shared a team at RB in the 2024 season: he beat him 10-1 in qualifying.
Tsunoda puts pressure and Red Bull doesn't rule out changes
The internal situation heats up even more if we remember that, from Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda openly put himself forward to replace Lawson at Red Bull due to his poor performances. "Yes, why not? In Japan? Yes, 100 percent, the car is faster," the Japanese driver assured Motorsport.
Tsunoda ya se había pronunciado sobre su posibilidad de reemplazar a Lawson
Meanwhile, Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, left open the possibility of a change in the middle of the season, something the team has done before with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon. "We'll discuss it when it happens. Yuki is racing for his future. That's what matters and now he's doing very well. If you look at Liam in Racing Bulls, it was actually quite similar to Yuki. And now, suddenly, that difference is very big, and also they (Racing Bulls) are very close, so that tells you something," the executive expressed.
Colapinto, the alternative for Racing Bulls
According to media like Relevo and Motorsport, if Tsunoda moves up to Red Bull, Argentine Franco Colapinto, current reserve driver for Alpine, could replace Lawson at Racing Bulls. If it happens, Racing Bulls would have to negotiate with both the French team and Williams to incorporate the Argentine driver.
Colapinto podría estar en los planes de Racing Bulls
The future of the team led by Christian Horner will be decided in a "emergency meeting" in Milton Keynes, confirmed by Helmut Marko, where the next moves will be analyzed.
