Red Bull said Thursday that Liam Lawson had been ax and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, confirming the days of speculation and only two racing weekends in the F1 season. Tsunoda will succeed the New Zealander in difficulty from its Japanese Grand Prix next week in Suzuka, Red Bull said in a statement. Tsunoda, 24 years old, dates back to the RB team to associate four times world champion Max Verstappen, with Lawson going back down to RB, where he was last season. Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team, said: “It was difficult to see Liam fight with the RB21 during the first two races and, therefore, we have collectively made the decision to make an early change.
“We have entered the 2025 season with two ambitions, to keep the world pilot championship and to recover the title of the world of manufacturers and it is a purely sporting decision.”
Lawson, 23, who was drafted from RB in winter to replace Sergio Perez, endured a miserable start to the 2025 season.
He was eliminated at the first stage of the three qualification sessions and has not yet marked a point.
Verstappen in the other Red Bull is second in the title race with 36 points, eight behind the leader at the start of the Lando Norris season of McLaren.
“We have a duty to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it is logical to act quickly so that Liam can acquire experience, because he continues his F1 career with racing bulls, an environment and a team that he knows very well,” added Horner.
Tsunoda has shown a pace on the two racing weekends of the season.
He was 12th in Australia and finished until Sunday in Shanghai, due to Shanghai due to the strategy with two RB stops.
Tsunoda made her Formula 1 debut with Alphanauri in 2021, becoming the first Japanese driver on the grid from Kamui Kobayashi in 2014.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a unionized flow.)
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