Formula One has been regarded as one of the least forgiving sports. With just 20 spots on the grid and many more drivers that deserve them, competition for seats often makes or breaks careers. After Red Bull decided after the 2024 season to part ways with Sergio Perez, one of their two seats opened up, and they were left with a decision between several drivers. Daniel Riccairdo, who formerly drove for Red Bull, was eliminated early, as was Carlos Sainz when he signed with Williams. This left two drivers, both on Red Bull’s second team, RB. Both Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson had the qualifications, but ultimately, Red Bull chose Lawson, keeping Tsunoda on RB, now named Racing Bulls, for the 2025 season.
In the first two races of the season, Lawson struggled. He failed to finish at the opener in Australia and got 12th in the Chinese Grand Prix, while Tsunoda bagged three total points to Lawson’s zero in the opening races. This left Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with a decision, and he ultimately decided to swap the two drivers, promoting Tsunoda to the Red Bull seat for his home race in Japan.
There is little precedent for a move like this occurring early in the season. Red Bull has been notoriously known for making their second seat difficult to hold onto. Max Verstappen, with Tsunoda taking the seat, will have had seven permanent teammates his nine years will the Austrian team. Starting with Riccairdo, Verstappen has been paired with drivers that lasted for a maximum of four seasons in Perez to now just two races for Lawson. Never has a move like this been made this early into a Formula One season by any team, but if any team would do it, it would have to Red Bull. F1 fans globally will have to wait until the lights go out in Suzuka in a week and a half to see how this move pans out.
