Red Bull reportedly turned down a £16.7million (€20m) offer from Honda to promote Yuki Tsunoda to the team’s second seat during the winter. Instead, they chose to give Liam Lawson the chance to partner with four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen.
However, Lawson’s golden opportunity has already come to a premature and disappointing end. The Kiwi has been demoted back to sister squad Racing Bulls and the more experienced Tsunoda has been given the nod to become Verstappen’s latest team-mate.
The New Zealander found it tough to handle the demanding RB21 car, and his performance suffered significantly. Lawson didn’t make it past Q1 in qualifying for both Grands Prix and the sprint race in Shanghai, failing to earn a single point in the three races he participated in as a Red Bull driver.
In stark contrast, Verstappen racked up 36 points during the same timeframe. Given the already challenging fight for the constructors’ championship, Red Bull has decided to replace Lawson with Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver has had an impressive start to the 2025 season, demonstrating remarkable speed and consistency with the Racing Bulls team, reports the Express. However, De Limburger reports that Tsunoda’s management attempted to orchestrate this move during the off-season.
According to their report, Honda, who have supported the 24-year-old throughout his junior and senior career, currently contribute £8.3m (€10m) towards his Racing Bulls seat and were prepared to double that amount for a Red Bull Racing opportunity.
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Tsunoda is gearing up for his chance, and the Japanese driver is eager to seize the moment. However, Lawson has warned that Red Bull could be making a mistake by replacing him with the more experienced racer, considering their past competitive history.
“He [Tsunoda] can say what he wants, to be honest,” Lawson said while in China. “I raced against him for years in the junior categories, and I beat him. And I did that in F1 as well. He can say what he wants, but it’s obviously extremely tough.
“It’s not something I enjoy and I’m honestly working as hard as I can. I don’t have time to test the car and get used to it, because we are already in the season and every race we lose points. That’s what I meant when I said I don’t have time.
“But I’m not stupid, I know I’m here to perform, and if I don’t do that, I’m gone. I’m focused on getting used to the car as quickly as possible. We’re not happy, and none of us are happy. I don’t know what else to say about that.”
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