Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda has officially joined Red Bull, competing in the Formula 1 World Championship, to be the teammate of the Dutch world champion. Max Verstappen, replacing New Zealander Liam Lawson. This change will take effect from the Japanese Grand Prix, as announced by the Austrian team on Thursday.
Christian Horner, the British director of Red Bull, makes his mea culpa: " It was difficult to see Liam struggling with the RB21 in the first two races, and as a result, we made the collective decision to make the swap early.
He pursues : "We approached the 2025 season with two objectives: to retain the Drivers' World Championship and to regain the Constructors' World Championship title, and this is a purely sporting decision.«
Yuki Tsunoda, 24, has been promoted from Red Bull's junior team, RB, to replace Liam Lawson from his home Grand Prix on April 6, with the New Zealander returning to RB. Lawson, 23, who was chosen by RB this winter to replace Mexican Sergio Perez at Red Bull, has had a difficult start.
He has not made it past the first qualifying session in any of the three qualifying sessions held so far and has not scored any points in the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. Meanwhile, his teammate Max Verstappen is in second place with 36 points, just eight points behind the leader, British Mercedes driver Lando Norris.
Unlike Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda managed to achieve acceptable results, finishing the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne's Albert Park circuit in 12th place, and seeing the checkered flag at the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai circuit in 16th place due to his team's incorrect strategy with two pit stops.
Yuki Tsunoda began his Formula 1 career with Alpha Tauri in 2021, becoming the first Japanese driver to start on the grid since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014.
Christian Horner warned after the Chinese Grand Prix last Sunday: " I think Liam has had two difficult races and a difficult weekend here. We will assess the situation carefully."
Regarding his replacement, the team boss seems more optimistic: " Yuki is an experienced pilot who is currently performing excellently.«
Christian Horner explained the change of strategy and the demotion of Liam Lawson: " We have a duty of care to care for and develop Liam, and we jointly believe that after this difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so that Liam can gain experience while continuing his Formula 1 career with Racing Bulls in an environment and team he is familiar with.«
