Liam Lawson will return to Racing Bulls from the Japanese Grand Prix as the Kiwi tries to bounce back from being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull after just two rounds.
The 23-year-old realised his childhood dream in December when Lawson became a Red Bull Formula 1 driver. But it quickly turned into a nightmare as the New Zealander was unable to adapt to the difficult RB21. Now, Tsunoda will move up from Racing Bulls at home at Suzuka.
Tsunoda has replaced Lawson at Red Bull as the team from Milton Keynes felt they required an immediate change to both improve the RB21 and their hopes to win the F1 constructors’ championship. With Lawson yet to take a point, Red Bull already trail McLaren by 42 points.
Liam Lawson leaves Yuki Tsunoda an ‘easy’ benchmark to beat at Red Bull
Lawson crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix on his Red Bull debut trying to continue on slick tyres in the late wet conditions. He was even just 18th in qualifying in Melbourne, with only Haas driver Esteban Ocon posting a slower time in Q1, before starting from the pit lane.
Shanghai would not be a happy hunting ground, as well, as Lawson visited another circuit he had never previously raced at. He was the slowest racer in both qualifying sessions in China, before finishing the Sprint in P14 and the main race in P12 after Red Bull changed his set-up.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Such was Lawson’s woe in Australia and China that former Red Bull academy prospect Jaime Alguersuari feels ‘nobody’ is expecting that much from Tsunoda as the 24-year-old steps up from Racing Bulls. Even Red Bull still doubt Tsunoda’s ultimate talents despite his promotion.
“Yuki has nothing to lose,” he told the official F1 website. “The benchmark of doing a better job is quite easy for him, in a way that nobody is really expecting that much from him.”
Liam Lawson frustrated Red Bull with his inability to adapt to the RB21
Even Verstappen wanted Red Bull to give Lawson more time to adapt to the RB21 given their 2025 Formula 1 car is known to be a difficult machine with a sharp front end and loose rear. The Dutchman also lamented his RB21’s inconsistent balance during the Chinese Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents
Another reason some feel Lawson merited more time at Red Bull is that he had not raced at Melbourne and Shanghai before the opening rounds of the 2025 F1 season. Yet the decision came on Thursday that Tsunoda will join Red Bull at Suzuka where Lawson has raced before.
The potentially mitigating circumstances behind the Kiwi’s struggles plus motorsport advisor Helmut Marko admitting Verstappen is ‘not happy’ were ignored as Red Bull grew frustrated with Lawson’s lack of progress. They already felt he could not find a way to change his form.
