Liam Lawson is already feeling the pressure at Red Bull after only two races of the 2025 Formula 1 season. The Kiwi driver crashed during the season-opener in Australia and continued with a disappointing streak in China, qualifying in P20 for both the sprint race and Grand Prix.
Red Bull opted to promote Lawson to replace Sergio Perez for 2025 rather than the more experienced Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda – a decision which is being heavily scrutinised.
With the pressure on Lawson, Tsunoda is impressing in the Racing Bulls with three points to his name so far. Rumours have begun to circulate that he could replace the New Zealander at Red Bull as soon as the Japanese Grand Prix, his home race. However, while speaking to Sky Germany, Ralf Schumacher claimed that moving to Red Bull wouldn’t do the Japanese driver any favours.
“I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” Schumacher explained. “If I were Tsunoda’s manager, I wouldn’t advise him to go there, because at the moment, the Racing Bull is the better car, and Tsunoda is doing very well with it. Moving to Red Bull wouldn’t do him any favours.
“I also believe that Waché is not necessarily overwhelmed by the task, but he doesn’t have it under control. This was meant to be a development concept, but he already struggled with it last year, and now with the new car, he still hasn’t figured it out. So I honestly can’t imagine why he would suddenly be able to fix it now.”
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Acknowledging the pressure on Lawson, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that the team are doing what they can to support the rookie driver, but he avoids discussing the possibility of replacing him. He explained to Sky Sports F1 following the race:
“Liam is a great little racer. He gets his elbows out, races hard but is just struggling at the moment, finding the limit with this car and getting the most out of the car.
“As a team we are looking to support him in the best way we can.”
