Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda to switch places in Japan.
Lawson out
After a disappointing start to the season Laim Lawson has been demoted from Red Bull to Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda will replace him in a straight swap from the feeder team, starting from the Japanese Grand Prix on the weekend of 4th-6th April 2025.
A poor start
There has been a gulf in performance between him and team mate Max Verstappen. While Verstappen has been pushing at the front of the field, Lawson has been bringing up the rear. He didn’t get out of Q1 in any of the three qualifying sessions, crashed out in Australia and was 12th in China (he finished 15th on track, but was only promoted to 12th thanks to 3 disqualifications).
Meanwhile Tsunoda came 6th in the sprint in China and suffered from strategic errors during the two grand prix.
Red Bull recognise ‘duty of care’
It could be argued that Lawson should be given longer in the main team to allow him to get settled and show what he can do. However, fans and sponsors alike want to see results and Lawson just hasn’t been getting the most out of the car.
“We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience, as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a Team he knows very well.”
Driver rotation
Even Red Bull adviser Helmut Marco has admitted that in hindsight it was ‘a mistake’ to choose Lawson over Tsunoda.
Red Bull said they are in a unique position of having four seats on the formula 1 grid and as such have made the decision to exercise a driver rotation.
From a fan’s perspective, it will be exciting to see what Tsunoda can get out of the RB12, starting with his home race in Japan.
Kate On Wheels 
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