On Thursday, the Japanese driver was promoted to the Red Bull team, taking the second seat at the expense of Liam Lawson. The New Zealander, in turn, will drop to the manufacturer’s junior team, Racing Bulls, in a direct swap with Tsunoda.

Tsunoda will partner with four-time and reigning World Champion Max Verstappen as the team seeks to become more competitive in the Constructors’ Championship, which has so far been dominated by McLaren after the first two races.

Announcing that @yukitsunoda07 will partner Max from the #JapaneseGP ???? pic.twitter.com/Pz05P7cFKF

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 27, 2025

Lawson competed in just two F1 races for the team before the decision was made on Monday night to replace him. During the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne and the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, Lawson was unable to secure any points and had to start Sunday’s race from the pit lane.

While Tsunoda was in a less competitive car, he managed to finish 12th in Australia and 16th in China. Although these were not standout performances, he brings valuable experience to the second seat, having made his F1 debut for Alpha Tauri in 2021.

Liam Lawson. Photo: X

Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner stated that a decision had to be made, given the team’s ambitions for the 2025 season.

“It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 in the first two races, and as a result, we have collectively decided to make an early switch,” said Horner.

“We entered the 2025 season with two ambitions: to retain the World Drivers’ Championship and reclaim the World Constructors’ title. This is purely a sporting decision.

Yuki Tsunoda. Photo: X

“We acknowledge that there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21, and Yuki’s experience will be highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car. We welcome him to the team and look forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21.

“We also have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam. After such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so that he can gain more experience as he continues his F1 career with Racing Bulls – an environment and a team he knows well.”

Tsunoda will make his debut for Red Bull next week at his home race, which also marks the third round of the championship.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg