Red Bull is gearing up for a significant change in its driver lineup after just the first two races of the new Formula 1 season, with plans to swap Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, as reported by RACER. The decision comes on the heels of Lawson’s lackluster performance during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, where he ended up at the bottom in both the Sprint and the main race, showing little improvement in either. As discussed earlier this week, Red Bull has been eager to address the issue promptly, which has led to this swift action.
Although there hasn’t been an official announcement from the team yet, sources suggest that Tsunoda spent some time in the Red Bull simulator on Tuesday. The team is likely to elevate him to race alongside Max Verstappen in time for his upcoming home event at Suzuka next weekend. While Red Bull is keen to make these adjustments quickly, Lawson isn’t expected to be sidelined completely. Instead, there are plans in place for him to return to Racing Bulls, the team he represented towards the end of the last season.
As for the potential for Franco Colapinto to snag a seat with Racing Bulls amidst all this shuffle, it appears those rumors are off the mark. However, the Argentine is indeed on Red Bull’s radar, and he might be considered later if other opportunities arise. At present, he’s on loan to Alpine from Williams.
Tsunoda’s rise to a more prominent role is backed by his solid performances, having reached Q3 in all three qualifying sessions this season. Notably, he secured fifth in Australia and finished sixth in China’s Sprint. The 24-year-old is now in his fifth year with Red Bull’s junior team, boasting 89 starts and a career-best finish of fourth in Abu Dhabi during his debut season.
This decision to switch drivers so early in the season is unprecedented for Red Bull. The team usually waits longer before making such changes, with the previous record being four races into the 2014 season when Daniil Kvyat was replaced by Verstappen. That gamble certainly paid off when Verstappen snagged victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on his Red Bull debut.
