Christian Horner sends message to Liam Lawson after he awkwardly beat Yuki Tsunoda at Japanese Grand Prix

Liam Lawson qualified ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, the driver who replaced him at Red Bull, at the Japanese Grand Prix. It was a scenario many predicted, but one that is slightly embarrassing for Christian Horner nonetheless.

Tsunoda had looked like a clear upgrade on Lawson during practice, consistently lapping within one-to-three tenths of Max Verstappen. But he faltered when it mattered in qualifying.

The Japanese driver qualified P15, but Carlos Sainz’s three-place penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton moves him up a shot. He’ll share the seventh row of the grid with his former teammate Lawson.

Last time out in China, Max Verstappen said Racing Bulls had a better car than Red Bull. While Verstappen took pole here, that may again be a testament to his unique talents.

Christian Horner says he’s ‘pleased’ for Liam Lawson at Japanese Grand Prix

It was a mixed day for Lawson overall. While it’s no doubt satisfying to beat Tsunoda, the real frame of reference is rookie teammate Isack Hadjar.

And despite complaining of discomfort early in qualifying, Hadjar comfortably outshone Lawson with a superb P7. The Frenchman is much more familiar with the VCARB02, but that advantage is offset by his general inexperience.

Speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying, Horner blamed Tsunoda’s exit on a mistake at the first corner. It’s worth remembering that Lawson never made it beyond the first segment of qualifying.

Red Bull fans said Lawson seemed happier after the driver change, and Horner feels he’s ‘settling in well’ in his old surroundings.

“It was a shame,” the team principal said of Tsunoda. “He’s gone in a bit hot at turn one. You’re on the backfoot for the rest of the lap. Up to that point I think he’s actually done very well.

He then added: “Pleased to see Liam settling in well as well at the Racing Bulls.”

Ted Kravitz spotted Red Bull’s big mistake with Yuki Tsunoda at Japanese GP

Jacques Villeneuve says Lawson ‘collapsed’ at Red Bull, making the demotion a necessity. He’ll still face the scrutiny of Helmut Marko, but now he’s in a car where he can look to upset the top teams, so the task is very different.

The second driver at Red Bull often has to prioritise survival. That’s simply not conducive to driving freely.

Tsunoda ‘didn’t expect’ to go out in Q2 but his weekend is far from a ruin. With rain possible on Sunday morning, points should be the minimum target.

Before qualifying, Ted Kravitz noticed a major set-up difference at Red Bull. Tsunoda was running high downforce levels, but Verstappen seemed to benefit from going in the opposite direction.