Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, both Red Bull academy graduates, once competed for the same F1 seat as junior drivers. Despite this, they formed a strong friendship, so Lawson felt a sense of loneliness when Tsunoda was promoted to F1.
Red Bull’s drivers operate out of Milton Keynes, where Lawson and Tsunoda spent a lot of time together. However, with RB (formerly AlphaTauri) based in Faenza, Italy, Tsunoda had to relocate to be near the team’s operations, which separated him from Lawson.
On the Talking Bulls podcast, Lawson was asked if he ever bunked with other F1 drivers. He revealed that he spent two years living in the same building as Tsunoda.
They developed a close friendship, and Lawson reflected, “He moved to Italy for F1, I felt a bit lonely for a while. We did a lot of cool stuff together when he was here, though. I’m not sure if it was good or bad for us, but it was definitely memorable.”
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Tsunoda joined F1 with AlphaTauri (now RB) in 2021 and has stayed with the Faenza-based squad since then. Meanwhile, Lawson has been a Red Bull reserve and development driver for over two years, but his wait might soon be over. If he secures a seat at RB for 2025, he could rekindle his old bond with Tsunoda.
Lawson could become Tsunoda’s teammate
Lawson impressed during his five-race stint for AlphaTauri in 2023, standing in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. Although he’s been on the sidelines since then, it’s expected he’ll return full-time soon.
Reports indicate Lawson is likely to replace Ricciardo, whose contract expires after 2024 and whose performance has been underwhelming. If Lawson joins, he will reunite with Tsunoda and spend more time together as teammates at RB.
Red Bull’s chief Helmut Marko stated that a decision on Lawson’s future would be made internally by the Singapore GP next weekend. However, the announcement date for this move, which seems highly probable, has not yet been disclosed.
