Red Bull felt that Liam Lawson’s struggles in the first two races of 2025 warranted an immediate change, so they brought in Yuki Tsunoda. But they have received a lot of flak for the decision, with many in the F1 paddock feeling that the Kiwi driver should have been given more time.
Ex-F1TV presenter Will Buxton claimed that Red Bull’s short-sighted decision may have dented Lawson’s confidence and ruined his career trajectory. However, Christian Horner disagrees.
The Red Bull team principal has come out guns blazing, defending the team’s actions. Earlier, he had insisted that he did Lawson a favor by demoting him back to Racing Bulls. Now, he’s come out to explain why he didn’t wait too long to pull the plug.
“I think he [Tsunoda] brings experience, and I think, you know, that knowledge is very useful, as you know, this season’s all gonna be about a development race, and that’s why we took the decision early,” Horner told Jacques Villeneuve on Sky Sports F1.
What was surprising was how Horner’s stance changed so quickly. Just at the start of the season, he admitted to feeling that Lawson had a higher performance ceiling than Tsunoda. And in the span of a few weeks, it all changed.
That said, he still believes Lawson would have made it. However, Red Bull didn’t have the time to allow him to develop next to Max Verstappen at the main team. “I think Liam would have got there, but it might have taken, you know, five, six, seven, you know, races or half a season.”
“We don’t have that amount of time, so, you know, after discussing it internally, we decided, right, you know, we’ve got to rip the plaster off this now and get on with it,” he added.
Thankfully for Horner, Tsunoda feels more comfortable with the RB21 than Lawson did. The Japanese driver was happy with its performance on the simulator, and also performed well in FP1 in Suzuka earlier today, finishing just a little over a tenth of a second behind Verstappen.
The Bulls blossomed into session
The White Bulls came in two by two, finishing in P5 and P6 #F1 || #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/rVDMLxrmeb
— Oracle Red Bull Racing | オラクル・レッドブルレーシング (@redbullracing) April 4, 2025
It’s still early days for Tsunoda in the Red Bull overalls, but Horner’s decision seems justified, keeping in mind that the team aims to win the Constructors’ title and anything short of it would be a failure.
For that, they need to score points with both cars, and Lawson was nowhere close to doing so.
Is there a vision behind Tsunoda joining Red Bull?
Lawson taking time to adapt would not only have affected Red Bull’s short-term goals but also cast a shadow over the development of their 2026 car. The regulations are set for a massive overhaul, with engine-centric changes coming into effect.
To understand what’s best for the RB22, Red Bull needed reliable feedback—something Lawson wasn’t providing. That’s why they believe Tsunoda’s experience could prove valuable, both for this season’s challenge and in shaping the concept of their 2026 car.
Red Bull is also aiming to make their cars more drivable. For the past few seasons, only Verstappen has been able to handle the notoriously difficult machines produced by the team, characterized by a sharp front end and a loose rear.
Yuki. Red Bull. Suzuka
Tsunoda heads out into the daylight for his first session as a full-time Red Bull driver #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/9ABBSYV4BV
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 4, 2025
Alex Albon, now racing for Williams, famously compared driving Red Bull’s challengers to ‘playing Call of Duty with maximum mouse sensitivity.’
So Red Bull wants to lay the foundation for their next challenger based on the preferences of both drivers. Naturally, a revolving door in the second seat won’t help that cause. So, if Tsunoda can settle in and perform well alongside Verstappen, Red Bull may finally find a long-term solution to their second seat curse.
