By James Broughton, March 27, 2025
BBC’s Andrew Benson described Red Bull’s decision to replace the underperforming Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after just two races as “ruthless.” I disagree—this is standard practice for Red Bull, even by their own standards, so I’m not surprised in the slightest. In fact, it was ruthless to overlook Tsunoda in favor of Lawson in the first place. For a team that prides itself on being data-driven, the evidence clearly showed that Yuki Tsunoda was the right choice to drive alongside Max Verstappen in 2025.
However, it seems Red Bull abandoned their usual data-driven approach and instead made their decision by gauging the direction of the wind. But even without comparing the data, it was obvious that Tsunoda was performing better. Apparently, Red Bull leaned toward Lawson due to his mental toughness, in contrast to Tsunoda’s perceived emotional volatility.
Whichever way you look at it, promoting Lawson from the Red Bull junior team to the senior squad was an odd decision. Perhaps driver politics, brand loyalty, and contract negotiations played a role. Regardless, Red Bull continues to struggle to find a permanent driver for the second seat alongside Verstappen.
Lawson Ran Out of Time, Red Bull Ran Out of Patience
Lawson talked a big game off the track, but his performances on it spoke louder about his true potential. He struggled to adapt to the challenging RB21 and, after two disappointing outings, has now been demoted back to Racing Bulls. Should he have been given more time?
Possibly—but his performances were so lackluster that Red Bull wasn’t willing to wait for an improvement in form. And so, Yuki Tsunoda has been promoted to Red Bull.
Will Tsunoda fare any better? The RB21 is notoriously difficult to drive, and Verstappen’s exceptional skill allows him to mask the car’s weaknesses.
It remains to be seen whether Tsunoda will succeed or if he will become yet another driver to falter in what many consider the poisoned chalice of being Max Verstappen’s teammate.
