Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda delivered another strong performance during qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend. Securing P9 for the race tomorrow, he will be starting 11 places ahead of Red Bull’s Liam Lawson who will start at the very back of the pack. It’s therefore unsurprising that he was asked about taking the Red Bull seat, especially with his home race just around the corner.
Tsunoda’s response was immediate and enthusiastic: “Japan? Yeah, 100%,” he said with a smile before his PR team guided him away as the conversation became too playful .
This comment comes at an important time as the pressure mounts on Lawson – the driver Red Bull opted for this season to replace Sergio Perez – as he continues to struggle with the difficult RB21. The contrast between the two drivers couldn’t be more visible, as Tsunoda finished ninth in qualifying in a slower, albeit easier to drive car. Lawson qualified last for both the sprint and the Grand Prix, admitting that his performance is “just not good enough.”
In Australia the story was much the same, with Tsunoda qualifying fifth and finishing 12th. Lawson, in comparison, qualified 18th and retired after a rain-induced crash.
“I think it’s just time,” he told the media after qualifying. “Unfortunately I don’t really have time, but it’s just one of those things. I mean, to drive a Formula 1 car, it takes 100% confidence in what you’re doing and it’s not that I don’t feel confident, but the window’s so small that right now I just seem to miss it. It’s that that I just need to get a handle on.
“So yeah, I don’t know how else to put it really, it’s just not good enough.”
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
The Japanese driver was typically self-critical despite his solid performance so far this weekend.
“I had a little moment in Turn 13, yeah went off track, [wasn’t] able to finish the lap. Until then it was a pretty good lap, to be honest. Obviously I want to kind of do again, similar to Australia, it just didn’t work out.
“But I think as a team we did a good job. I think we made a huge step even compared to sprint qualifying, so well done to them.”
The difficulties Lawson is facing can’t be attributed solely to driver ability, however. The RB21 has proven to be a car with a very small operating window, with even Max Verstappen struggling so far this season. But despite this, the situation makes the Milton Keynes squad’s decision to promote Lawson increasingly questionable. With the Japanese Grand Prix in two weeks, this would undeniably be the most symbolic time for Tsunoda to be promoted, with him being a Honda-backed driver as well.
With Red Bull having a history of mid-season driver changes, this speculation isn’t entirely far-fetched.
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