Red Bull Makes Shock Driver Change After Two Races

Red Bull Racing has made another abrupt driver change, replacing Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after just two races.

The Japanese driver will partner with Max Verstappen starting at his home Grand Prix next weekend.

This quick move follows Red Bull’s history of rotating between colleagues for their four-time world champion.

Tsunoda becomes Verstappen’s sixth partner, joining Lawson, Sergio Perez, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and Daniel Ricciardo.

Lawson’s brief reign produced unsatisfactory results, failing to finish in Australia and finishing 12th in China.

These performances fell drastically short of Verstappen’s second and fourth-place finishes in the same races.

The team currently sits third in the constructors’ standings with less than half the points of leader McLaren. This championship battle appears to be the primary motivation behind the swift change.

Team principal Christian Horner described the move as “purely a sporting decision.” He cited difficulty watching Lawson struggle with the RB21 car during the opening races of the season.

Horner emphasized Red Bull’s “duty of care” to protect Lawson’s development. The team believes returning him to Racing Bulls, where he’s more familiar, will better support his Formula 1 career progression.

Tsunoda’s promotion arrives after strong early-season performances, including a sixth-place finish in Shanghai’s sprint race. The 24-year-old has scored three points while Lawson has yet to register any.

The Honda-backed driver previously raced alongside Lawson in Formula 3 and Euroformula, with Lawson once remarking that he had beaten Tsunoda in both series. The competitive history adds intrigue to their seat swap.

Reports of the decision first appeared in Dutch newspapers following a Red Bull meeting in Dubai. The New Zealand Herald noted Lawson’s representatives were initially “unaware” of the finalized change.

The Verstappen Factor

Driving alongside Verstappen presents a uniquely difficult challenge in Formula 1. Horner has publicly stated that “Max is the hardest teammate in the world to have.”

Former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez warned against underestimating this challenge, particularly for younger drivers. He admitted he “wouldn’t like to be in those shoes” of a rookie partnering Verstappen.

Verstappen’s distinctive driving style requires an “eye-wateringly sharp” front end. This creates a car that’s difficult for most drivers to handle with confidence and stability.

Alex Albon, another former teammate, described Verstappen’s preferred setup as like “bumping up the sensitivity completely to the max” on a computer game. The car becomes so responsive it makes other drivers tense.

Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle highlighted the immense performance gap, noting Lawson finished seven-tenths behind Verstappen in China qualifying. Finding this pace difference proves extraordinarily challenging for incoming drivers.

Red Bull historically develops their car around Verstappen’s preferences, following “the direction of your faster driver.”

The pattern frequently sees fresh colleagues start close to Verstappen’s pace but then fall behind.

Fresh colleagues frequently start close to Verstappen’s pace before falling behind. As they labor harder to close the gap, confidence issues compound their problems.

Tsunoda faces this daunting challenge at Suzuka, his home circuit. The pressure will be intense, but racing in front of Japanese fans in Red Bull’s top team presents a career-defining opportunity.

Red Bull’s brutal strategy for preserving competitiveness is further supported by this driver change.

They need two cars to get points consistently, especially as McLaren and Ferrari are becoming more reliable.

The upcoming Japanese Grand Prix will reveal whether Tsunoda can adapt to Red Bull’s demanding car or become the next victim of what some call Formula 1’s most challenging teammate assignment.