Yuki Tsunoda will make his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix – his home race – after replacing Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The 24-year-old was snubbed by his Racing Bulls teammate for the second Red Bull seat over the winter. Christian Horner felt Lawson had a higher ceiling than Tsunoda and would handle being next to Max Verstappen better than Sergio Perez.
However, Lawson is out of Red Bull after just two races. Failing to reach Q2 in Melbourne and Shanghai and scoring no points, he and Tsunoda have swapped places for the Japanese Grand Prix.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
44 |
| 2 |
Max Verstappen |
36 |
| 3 |
George Russell |
35 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
34 |
| 5 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
22 |
| 6 |
Alexander Albon |
16 |
| 7 |
Esteban Ocon |
10 |
| 8 |
Lance Stroll |
10 |
| 9 |
Lewis Hamilton |
9 |
| 10 |
Charles Leclerc |
8 |
| 11 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
6 |
| 12 |
Oliver Bearman |
4 |
| 13 |
Yuki Tsunoda |
3 |
| 14 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
1 |
| 15 |
Isack Hadjar |
0 |
| 16 |
Pierre Gasly |
0 |
| 17 |
Liam Lawson |
0 |
| 18 |
Jack Doohan |
0 |
| 19 |
Gabriel Bortoleto |
0 |
| 20 |
Fernando Alonso |
0 |
The latter has been impressive for Racing Bulls so far in 2025, reaching Q3 in every qualifying session. Helmut Marko says Tsunoda looked ‘stronger’ than ever before handing him a promotion to Red Bull.
Tsunoda has already impressed on the simulator ahead of his debut at Suzuka. However, he is walking into a difficult environment, with the RB21 being a tough car to handle and so suited to Verstappen’s sensitive driving style.
The Dutchman’s last four teammates have failed to perform – and it is feared Tsunoda could be next as Red Bull do not know how to fix the car. Heading into Suzuka, Juan Pablo Montoya has warned the team not to make the same mistake Williams did in 2001.
Juan Pablo Montoya urges Red Bull to build with the second driver – Williams didn’t in 2001
The Colombian joined F1 in 2001 to replace Jenson Button at Williams. Montoya partnered with Ralf Schumacher, who was going into his fifth season in the sport.
Speaking with AS Colombia, the seven-time winner recalled how he was struggling with the car, but Williams would only listen to Schumacher’s feedback – being the experienced driver. The same is happening at Red Bull, and Montoya urges them to build with Tsunoda on the other side of the garage.
He said: “I haven’t been there to say what the philosophy is, how it happens, but I’m very sure that at least at the beginning, except until the race in China, when they decided to change the car.
“They were saying it a lot, he’s driving badly, he’s braking badly, look how Max brakes, look how Max releases the brakes, look how Max moves his hands.
“And the engineer, instead of saying: ‘Come on, I’ll change the car.’ This happened to me at Williams, at the beginning when I arrived at Williams.
“It was the same, they told me I said: ‘I can’t drive it’ and Ralf was putting a lot of time on me and they said: ‘When Ralf’s time comes, we’ll change it.’
“And I had to go straight to Frank’s place and tell him: ‘I need someone else because I don’t need a coach. I need an engineer, I need someone who instead of saying that I’m driving badly will change the car for me so I can drive it.’
“And this is a little bit what Red Bull needs. Red Bull needs to take someone and build with that person [on] the other side of the garage.”
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents
Is a Red Bull promotion bad news for Yuki Tsunoda?
Of course, Tsunoda will be ecstatic with the opportunity afforded to him. The Japanese driver has made it no secret about his desire to race for Red Bull after being with Racing Bulls for four years.
However, the Milton Keynes outfit’s current trajectory will be concerning. The team have clearly regressed in 2025 and do not have the pace to win races – Verstappen is ‘extremely annoyed’ Red Bull cannot fight McLaren at this stage.
In contrast to Red Bull’s difficulties, Racing Bulls have oddly appeared more comfortable. The VCARB 02 looks much easier to drive and Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar have proven it has performance by reaching Q3 in Shanghai.
Jolyon Palmer is worried for Tsunoda as his data suggests he is stepping into a slower car at Red Bull. If he fails to perform like Lawson, it would prove the RB21 has a major issue that needs addressing.
Red Bull’s driver swap may benefit Lawson more as he goes back to a familiar environment with a better car to handle. Tsunoda will be under immense pressure to perform, but he may not have the machine to do that.
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