Yuki Tsunoda will be taking on Max Verstappen at Red Bull, making him the sixth teammate of the Dutchman since he joined the team in 2016.
It comes after two disaster races for Liam Lawson, in which the 23-year-old struggled to match the performance of Verstappen or get out of Q1 in qualifying.
Lawson was given the Chinese Grand Prix weekend to improve after a difficult start to the season in Australia, which was marred by poor weather and changable conditions.
After he crashed out of the Australian GP and subsequently went on to finish P15 on the road in Shanghai, Red Bull’s Thai owners expressed concerns about Lawson behind the scenes which prompted the discussions for a potential change.
A decision was made in the days after China to swap Lawson with Tsunoda, with Red Bull citing their desire to win the Constructors’ Championship as the main reason for the early swap. Discussing it on his YouTube livestream, Peter Windsor highlighted one trait he expects Tsunoda to bring that will help benefit Red Bull.
Yuki Tsunoda has ‘Rubens Barrichelo-like talent’ according to Peter Windsor
Red Bull needs a driver who can back Verstappen in the championship title race, and even though the RB21 is a more difficult car to drive, Tsunoda’s experience should enable him to get the most out of the car.
Michael Schumacher was one of F1’s greatest drivers who brought success back to Ferrari, but he needed a teammate who could back him up. Rubens Barrichello is regarded as his greatest teammate for this reason, having enabled Ferrari to win back-to-back Constructors’ Championships between 2000 and 2004.
Windsor believes he will exhibit similar driver characteristics to Barrichello when he partnered Schumacher at Ferrari, having been crucial to the success of the team during those glory years in the early 00s.
“Well he is improving all the time and he definitely doesn’t lean on the rear too much. He’s a Lando Norris but not quite the same softness. He’s a little bit earlier turning in than Piastri is now, or George, or Carlos Sainz. Not dramatically so, but he’s got a soft-ish touch,” said Windsor.
“His other great talent is the Rubens Barrichello-like talent of grinding a race out with very consistent lap times and managing the car as he does so. He’s done that demonstrably well in the last 18 months. I think Franz Tost had a lot to do with that, he’s come a long way. He has more of a feel of the front end of a car and in that way he’ll get more out of the RB21 than Lawson.”
Will Yuki Tsunoda be much of an improvement from Liam Lawson?
Giving a driver two races to prove themselves is a new record for Red Bull and shows just how willing they are able to exploit their contracts with drivers, should changes need to be made.
Lawson was not given enough experience pre-season to get to grips with his car, with the signs there in pre-season testing.
| Category | Yuki Tsunoda | Liam Lawson |
| 2024 points | 8 | 4 |
| Grand Prix results | 4 | 2 |
| Grand Prix qualifying | 6 | 0 |
| Grand Prix wins | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix poles | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix podiums | 0 | 0 |
| Best finish | 7th | 9th |
| Retirements | 1 | 0 |
| Retirements (classified finish) | 0 | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 2 | 2 |
| Sprint results | 0 | 3 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 0 | 3 |
| Sprint wins | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint poles | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint podiums | 0 | 0 |
Tsunoda beat Lawson when they were teammates for eight races in a car with a wider setup window than the RB21, so he should be capable of improving where the 23-year-old struggled.
It will be a tough debut for Tsunoda at Suzuka, which is a highly technical circuit and home to engine manufacturer Honda.
Honda is reportedly paying Red Bull double to have Tsunoda in the car for the rest of the season, although F1 Oversteer understands that another swap could take place if Red Bull deem necessary.
