Yuki Tsunoda addresses Liam Lawson’s Red Bull demotion: “Bounce back”

Yuki Tsunoda haaddressed Liam Lawson’s Red Bull demotion during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, insisting that he “will bounce back.” 

Tsunoda stepped into the Red Bull seat alongside four-time champion Max Verstappen in front of his home crowd in Suzuka. The Milton Keynes outfit decided to swap Lawson with Tsunoda after just two races of the 2025 season.

The Japanese driver initially missed the opportunity to replace Sergio Perez in the top team when Red Bull chief Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko put their faith in the New Zealand rookie, Lawson.

However, Lawson was only given two race weekends in Australia and China before he was moved to the sister squad. 

While speaking to Sky Sports during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Tsunoda addressed Lawson’s exit from Red Bull, stating:

“Well it wasn’t easy for me as well at the end of last season. He did his best for sure. We all did our best and he got the Red Bull seat which was fair and I just had to accept it. He’ll bounce back very strongly in the RB.

“RB is currently in good shape. The people there are amazing, very supportive. If we have all four cars fighting top 10, there’s probably the best Red Bull result ever so we have to bounce back strongly.”

Although Tsunoda didn’t bring home any points in Japan with a twelfth-place finish, Horner is confident he can take a step forward in the next few races. He commented:

“That race was totally dominated by qualifying, and probably 90% of the drivers finished where they qualified.

“He made one pass, and then we undercut Pierre [Gasly] during the pit stops, and then he was stuck behind Fernando [Alonso].

“So he’s dialed himself into the car. He’s dialed himself into the team and I think he should make a step forward, certainly over the next few races.”