Red Bull considers Lawson’s future, Tsunoda’s potential swap in Japan GP

Dominika Jordan
Mar 23, 2025, 10:20 AM ET

Red Bull weighs Lawson's future for Japan GP; Horner considers Tsunoda as replacement.

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Christian Horner has declined to confirm whether under-pressure Liam Lawson will still be driving for Red Bull at the next Formula 1 race in Japan. Lawson replaced Sergio Pérez at Red Bull over the winter but has struggled, failing to score a point in two Grand Prix weekends and a sprint race.

Max Verstappen, Lawson's teammate, is second in the standings after podium finishes in Australia and a fourth-place finish in China. Lawson's performance has raised questions about his future, with Yuki Tsunoda, from sister team Racing Bulls, being a prime candidate to replace him.

When asked about Lawson's future, Horner said, "Look, I think everything is purely speculative at the moment. We've just finished this race. We're going to take away the info and have a good look at it." He added, "I think Liam still has potential -- we're just not realizing that at the moment."

Horner refused to confirm if Lawson would remain with the team in Japan, stating, "We're two races in and I think, you know, we've just finished this race. I think we take away the information we have."

Red Bull is third in the constructors' standings, with points solely accumulated by Verstappen. Horner admitted to Sky Sports that performance considerations would influence any driver decision. "There's performance that we need to find and we need both drivers up there if there's to be any chance of fighting for the constructors' championship," he said.

Horner did not comment on Tsunoda as a potential replacement, stating, "I'm not even going to comment on a change, because that would be your first headline. We have quite a bit of information, we're going to go away and have a good look at it and work with Liam and do the best that we can for him."

Regarding what could be found in the data from Lawson's races, Horner added: "There's so much info. How he's adapted to driving the car, what he's getting from the car, what can we do to help, where are his major issues, what's causing inconsistency, you know, all of those issues."