Yuki Tsunoda aimed one ‘clear dig’ at Liam Lawson during the Chinese Grand Prix amid Red Bull seat swap rumours

The beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season couldn’t have gone much worse for Red Bull driver Liam Lawson.

The Chinese Grand Prix saw Liam Lawson record back-to-back P20 qualifying performances and despite three disqualifications ahead of him, the New Zealander is still looking to score his first point for Red Bull.

It’s not a new phenomenon to see teammates struggle alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Sergio Perez lost his Red Bull seat because the gap between himself and the four-time world champion had grown too large in 2024.

Team principal Christian Horner led the calls to promote Lawson over his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda but that decision has quickly backfired.

Tsunoda has looked brilliant at the start of this season for Racing Bulls and is extremely unlucky not to have scored a point yet.

Fans were furious with Tsunoda’s strategy in Australia and his front wing disintegrating on its own in China alongside another poor strategy call that saw him finish last on Sunday.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Yuki Tsunoda aimed ‘clear dig’ at Liam Lawson during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend

A report that surfaced after the Chinese Grand Prix suggests Lawson and Tsunoda could swap seats ahead of the next race in Japan.

It would be a humbling experience for the 23-year-old to have lasted just two race weekends before being demoted for a driver that Red Bull have overlooked on several occasions.

Perez survived several calls to be dropped by Red Bull last year and Lawson may feel he can also avoid being swapped despite growing concerns about the gap between himself and Verstappen.

Journalist Jon Noble was speaking on The Race’s Patreon page about the situation between the two drivers and said: “I think from Yuki’s perspective, he was asked in the [media] pen as well, we had a session today and he was talking about it and threw a question to Yuki.

“We said, ‘Would you take the Red Bull?’ because obviously you could argue well why would he want to give up what he’s got at the moment if the other Red Bulls at the back.

“He said, ‘100%’, he would take it with a line that he said that the Red Bull is faster.

“So, a clear dig there at Liam because that Red Bull should be ahead. I think he’s aware of the challenge but if you’re a serious Formula 1 driver, you should believe in yourself.

“You’ve got the conviction that you can do a better job and you’re offered that car, you’ve got to take it. It’s a really fascinating dynamic, so soon in the season.”

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Yuki Tsunoda’s head-to-head record against Liam Lawson at RB last season

Unlike many of the driver swaps that have taken place at Red Bull over the years, Horner and chief advisor Helmut Marko have plenty of data to look at from last season to justify their decision.

Tsunoda outqualified Lawson on every occasion last year once the Kiwi took Daniel Ricciardo’s seat and scored more points than his less experienced teammate.

Lawson was selected for his potential but has failed to get his Red Bull into the narrow window where it performs the best.

Red Bull could have seen these problems coming for some time, with Perez’s performances initially dropping off in 2023.

By not initially trusting Tsunoda, they put huge pressure on a driver with very little Formula 1 experience and if they do make the switch, Lawson will be expected to outperform the thoroughly impressive Isack Hadjar.

The Japanese driver has the confidence required to race at the front of the grid and Red Bull were impressed with Tsunoda when they briefly worked together in last year’s post-season test.

If he suffers from the same problems as Lawson, then Red Bull have a critical decision to make on whether they adapt their cars to help both drivers or continue to follow Verstappen’s direction.