The atmosphere at Red Bull is more tense than ever. Liam Lawson, until recently the Austrian firm’s great hope of being able to establish himself there, has not had a very fortunate start to the season that would give him continuity in the team. For his part, Yuki Tsunoda, is the favourite driver to take the seat, and the New Zealand driver has not liked his statements.
Lawson responds to Tsunoda
The controversy began after Tsunoda’s statements at the end of the Chinese GP, when he was asked if he was ready to join the Red Bull team for the Japanese GP, and he sent the following reply: “Yes, 100%. I mean, that car is faster”. These were words that did not please Lawson at all, who is on the tightrope after having had a Grand Prix that he would like to forget, it seems, after two weekends.
The reply from the New Zealander was not long in coming in this interview for Motorsport, and he spoke directly about Tsunoda with a short and clear message: “I have competed with him for years, I competed with him in lower categories and I beat him, and I also did so in F1, so he can say what he wants”.
However, the numbers are not in favor of what Lawson was defending. Even though in some of the lower categories he was ahead of the New Zealander, the balance in Formula 1 is clearly in favor of the Japanese driver. During the time they were teammates at Racing Bulls in the second half of 2024, Tsunoda dominated the duel in the rankings with a convincing 10-1.
Lawson’s future at Red Bull hangs by a thread
Lawson’s disastrous results in the first two races have set alarm bells ringing in Milton Keynes. In Australia, he was the victim of an accident (in the rain), following what was a very bad strategy on the part of the team. In China, he was last in the sprint qualifying, and could only recover to 12th place in the race, but that was thanks to the disqualifications of several of his rivals.
Helmut Marko, Red Bull correspondent and advisor, no longer hides his concern, and after his appearance in the mixed zone of the Marina Bay International Circuit, he hinted to Sky Sports Germany at the possibility of a change in the grid either before the start of the Japanese Grand Prix or in this weekend’s practice sessions: “Yuki is at his best. He has matured and his performance is very good. Liam, on the other hand, is having difficulties. We will discuss it at this week’s meeting.”
Christian Horner, the team boss, was more cautious, although he did not rule out a drastic decision: “There will always be rumors. It has been a difficult start for Liam, but we will analyze the situation calmly.”
Tsunoda to Red Bull and Colapinto to Racing Bulls?
The possibility of Tsunoda replacing Lawson at Red Bull could lead to another shift in the scheme. Argentinian Franco Colapinto, Alpine‘s reserve driver, is the main contender to fill the vacant seat on the Racing Bulls team.
Ralf Schumacher, former F1 driver and analyst at Sky Germany, has been one of the very few to question the Japanese driver’s change. “If I were Tsunoda’s representative, I would not recommend him to go to Red Bull. It’s a team that burns out its drivers. No matter who they put in the second car, they’ll send him home in a matter of a few races.”