Red Bull to replace Lawson with Tsunoda ahead of Japanese Grand Prix

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull Racing is reportedly set to replace Liam Lawson with Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, as per multiple reports released on Tuesday. Dutch newspapers De Telegraaf and De Limburger have indicated that Tsunoda, who is backed by Honda, will be taking Lawson's place as Max Verstappen's teammate starting from the Japanese Grand Prix next week. This decision follows a recent Red Bull meeting in Dubai. An official announcement is expected later in the week.

Currently, Red Bull has not released a comment regarding the reports. Meanwhile, Lawson's representatives informed the New Zealand Herald that they are "unaware if what's been reported has been finalized by Red Bull."

Lawson ascended from Racing Bulls, Red Bull's feeder team, to replace Mexican driver Sergio Pérez alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen this season. However, Lawson has found it challenging in his initial two race weekends in Australia and China. The 23-year-old Lawson competed in six races with Racing Bulls last season, alongside Tsunoda, after initially substituting for Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo. Subsequently, Lawson was selected for the Red Bull seat.

Despite Max Verstappen holding second place in the 2025 standings, trailing McLaren's Lando Norris by eight points after securing a second place, a fourth place, and a sprint third in China, Lawson has yet to register a point. Conversely, Tsunoda has had a strong start to the season, earning three points with a sixth-place finish in the Shanghai sprint last Saturday.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner acknowledged after the Chinese Grand Prix that Lawson was struggling but assured that the team would offer their full support. Historically, Red Bull has frequently changed Verstappen’s teammates, with the Dutch driver maintaining a clear number one position within the British-based team, which lost the constructors' title to McLaren last year. Verstappen has admitted that the current car is challenging to drive, and Lawson stated in Shanghai that he was finding it difficult to extract performance from it.

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