Red Bull announced earlier today that Liam Lawson will be replacing the outgoing Sergio Perez from 2025 onwards, which means Yuki Tsunoda will be spending another season at RB. While this was big news for Lawson, the F1 community was not happy with how Tsunoda got snubbed.
Tsunoda made his debut for RB when it was AlphaTauri in 2021, and in his four seasons, he has matured into a confident and consistent driver. The Japanese prodigy got the better of Nyck de Vries during their stint as teammates, and then also defeated both Daniel Ricciardo and Lawson. Still, Red Bull chose the New Zealander ahead of him.
Lawson has done a great job in two stints replacing Ricciardo, but I feel for Tsunoda. The Japanese driver stepped it up this year, is more mature both on and off the track and how shown a very strong turn of speed. Tsunoda also outqualified Lawson 6-0 in 2024 #F1
— Lawrence Barretto (@lawrobarretto) December 19, 2024
“The Japanese driver stepped it up this year, is more mature both on and off the track and how shown a very strong turn of speed,” journalist Lawrence Barretto wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In the past Red Bull have put bright talents into their second seat alongside Max Verstappen, most notably Alex Albon in 2019. The Thai-British driver was doing a good job for Toro Rosso (another former name for RB) but had only competed in half a season before they decided to put him in place of Pierre Gasly, who was struggling to match Verstappen.
Red Bull have learned absolutely nothing. Apart from the fact that Yuki Tsunoda deserves a chance they clearly forgot what happend the last times they put unexperienced drivers in that position. https://t.co/BQWCfxsIW3
— Stefanie (@fastpitstop) December 19, 2024
Unsurprisingly, Albon failed and had to be axed just a year later. Many fans have recalled this on social media, indicating that Lawson could be a bad choice.
Yuki ends De Vries’s F1 career
Ricciardo brought in as a potential Red Bull driver if he beats Yuki
Yuki beats Ricciardo
Lawson brought in as a potential Red Bull driver if he beats Yuki
Yuki 6-0s Lawson in qualifying
Lawson gets the Red Bull seat
— Tom Bellingham (@TomP1Bellingham) December 19, 2024
Lawson has similarly not completed a full F1 season to date. He participated in five races in 2023 and six this year, taking his total to 11. Tsunoda, meanwhile, has 87 starts in F1, boasting a far more experienced career than Lawson’s.
Red Bull, however, chose to take a gamble on the Kiwi’s raw talent and, presumably, on maturity — an aspect Tsunoda was previously considered to lack.
Why Tsunoda didn’t get the nod
Tsunoda, in his early days, earned a reputation for being overly hot-headed. He frequently shouted, swore, and complained on the team radio, prompting Red Bull bosses to publicly urge him to calm down and dial it back.
Tsunoda has shown significant improvement in this area, and many prominent figures in F1 have voiced their belief that he deserves a chance at Red Bull. However, other non-sporting factors may have played a role in Red Bull’s decision to prioritize Lawson.
One such factor could be Honda’s upcoming departure from Red Bull in 2026. As Honda has been Tsunoda’s long-time backer, this change might explain why the Milton Keynes-based team chose not to continue with the Japanese driver.
If true, this suggests that 2025 could also mark Tsunoda’s final year in the Red Bull stable, as the Austrian team may look to recruit non-Honda-backed talent for its sister team moving forward.
