Well, that’s a surprise...or not.
After just two races in the 2025 season, the silly season has begun with Yuki Tsunoda getting the second seat at Red Bull Racing. That means Liam Lawson will be going back to the junior Racing Bulls team.
With that, Tsunoda will be paired with Max Verstappen, while Lawson will be alongside fellow rookie, Isaac Hadjar.
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“It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and, as a result, we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch. We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the World Drivers' Championship and to reclaim the World Constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision,” said Red Bull Racing team principal, Christian Horner.
Lawson had his struggles with the new RB21 race car. In the two stints he’s had with it, the Kiwi never got out of Q3, suffered a DNF in Australia, and finished outside the points despite three disqualifications following the recent Chinese Grand Prix. Rumors quickly circulated that the rookie might be swapped with Tsunoda before the Japanese Grand Prix.
True enough, it has happened. Tsunoda, who has been with the Red Bull Racing family since 2021, finally gets the promotion that some pundits have said was long overdue. The Japanese driver has yet to take a step on the podium, but his chances of that happening have gone up given that he is now with the main team.
“We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki's experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car. We welcome him to the Team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21,” added Horner.
The second Red Bull Racing seat has been a bit of a double-edged sword. Following the departure of Daniel Ricciardo, a string of drivers have since taken over with varying degrees of success. Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon had their fair share of struggles, although Sergio Perez was the most successful of the number two seat drivers over there. Perez took four wins for the team, and was instrumental in the outfit getting two constructor’s titles in a row.
Tsunoda, on the other hand, has an uphill battle ahead of him. If the second car is as challenging to drive as it seems, he will have to adapt quickly to avoid the fate of his predecessor. That said, he also has more experience handling Formula 1 machinery.
