The Formula 1 driver’s market was one of the most interesting storylines that underpinned the 2024 season.
As soon as Lewis Hamilton announced he was joining Ferrari, it set off a chain reaction of events few could have predicted.
The 2025 F1 grid has been confirmed and only McLaren and Aston Martin have stuck with both of their drivers from last year.
It’s seen a handful of rookies earn a promotion to F1 which creates an added layer of intrigue but also several unknowns that could result in team principals trying to keep their options open in case they have to make a difficult decision.
Red Bull were the latest team to drop one of their drivers in 2024, with Sergio Perez’s F1 exit confirmed weeks after the campaign ended.
Liam Lawson was the driver chosen to replace Perez despite only taking part in 11 Grand Prix during his F1 career.
It left Yuki Tsunoda preparing for a fifth season with the Racing Bulls team having missed out on promotion despite outperforming Lawson, Daniel Ricciardo and Nyck de Vries over the past two years.
However, some Formula 1 fans believe that there could be another twist in the tale when it comes to team principal Christian Horner’s driver line-up alongside Max Verstappen.
Formula 1 fans predicting mid-season swap between Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson
Although Jack Doohan appears to be F1’s most under-pressure driver, they don’t think he’s the only racer who could be moved on during 2025.
Formula 1 fans were asked on Instagram by the sport’s official account to make one bold prediction for this season.
Many decided that it could see Red Bull make another mid-season driver swap involving Lawson and Tsunoda.
One fan said, ‘Liam Lawson gets dropped mid-season to be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda’, and another agreed, stating, ‘Tsunoda Replacing Liam Lawson mid-season.’
An even bolder prediction was made by another commenter who said, ‘Lawson gets dropped by Summer break, Danny Ric returns. Max 5 time world champion.’
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Although Ricciardo isn’t considering an F1 comeback, Red Bull have made bolder calls during their history.
Another fan said, ‘Tsunoda replacing Lawson in the middle of the season,’ and this was echoed again by one commenter, ‘Kimi Antonelli is going to be better than Russell, and Lawson is going to be dropped by Red Bull.’
It wasn’t all negative for the young Kiwi though, with one fan simply stating, ‘Liam wins a race.’
What does Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 future look like after Red Bull snub?
Tsunoda has performed admirably over the past 12 months, securing a new contract for 2025 before the halfway point in the season.
While on paper it looked like his performances dropped off as the year went on, this can be partially explained by RB heading in the wrong direction with their development.
Lawson was close to matching Tsunoda’s race pace after just a few Grand Prix but failed to outqualify the Japanese driver at any of the six races they took part in together in 2024.
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Unfortunately for Tsunoda, much of his back at Red Bull comes from his association with Honda.
The Japanese power unit supplier are joining Honda as their exclusive engine manufacturer from 2026 onwards, with some suggestions Tsunoda will leave Racing Bulls in 2025 as a result.
The only way he can avoid this exit may be to prove to Red Bull he should be racing in the senior team and that will only ever be in place of Lawson.
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