Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda were giving no inch to each other on and off the track as teammates at RB, as they both auditioned for the sought-after Red Bull seat for 2025. However, what many don’t know is that they had been rivals during their Euroformula days — back when it was all about getting into F1 — as well.
Both part of the Red Bull junior academy, Lawson and Tsunoda recently recalled an incident from Macau 2019, each insisting that the other was to blame for the crash.
They had this back and forth in a recent RB-Red Bull segment, which the Faenza-based team posted on Instagram. And it all stemmed from Lawson asking Tsunoda a simple question: “What has been the most challenging moment of your career to date?”
It took both on a trip down memory lane as they shared accounts of who they believed was at fault that day.
“When YOU crashed into ME,” said Lawson and Tsunoda to one another. Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen were also present, and although the rookie knew the story, the four-time champion didn’t. So Lawson decided to educate Verstappen on what truly happened.
It turns out that Lawson and Tsunoda were teammates and the Japanese driver was adamant about stamping his authority. Lawson explained how Tsunoda would get too close to him on the cooldown lap in every race that season, possibly to intimidate him.
Tsunoda pleaded innocence. “You were not leaving enough room. You were driving in the middle of the road,” he said.
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The Kiwi, of course, didn’t agree and recalled how during FP1 in Macau — despite a call from Helmut Marko instructing them both to avoid crashes — Tsunoda clipped his front wheel. “All I see is the underneath of his car. And then he just smashes the guardrail. Gearbox is at the back of it. Broke my suspension as well.”
Tsunoda and the others let out a laugh, and Lawson couldn’t help but ask him if he was actually trying to get close. The Japanese driver admitted that he was.
Lawson is aware of Tsunoda’s ‘scare tactic’
A lot has happened since that Macau incident. Today, both Tsunoda and Lawson are in F1 — one fighting hard to secure the Red Bull seat, the other battling to keep it. But Lawson still can’t get over Tsunoda’s habit of brushing his car too close to his, back in the day.
When Lawson was still an RB driver in 2024, he admitted he was well aware of this tactic. “I don’t know if he was trying to scare me or what — he did this all year.” He also recalled how unfazed Tsunoda seemed after the incident, which was evident from his behavior later that day.
Two competitive young drivers, reunited as team mates
Will we see more of Tsunoda and Lawson wheel-to-wheel in 2024?#F1 pic.twitter.com/VXhqhNCL08
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 30, 2024
“I saw him in the elevator that night, I remember the doors opening, and there he was, standing there. I looked at him, and he just smiled at me. In that moment, I knew — he knew exactly what he had done.”
In F1, Tsunoda has yet to be accused of using intimidation tactics on track. And at this level, he can’t afford to test Marko’s patience. The 24-year-old is at a crucial stage in his career — any misstep could put his seat at risk. The same goes for Lawson, who finds himself fighting to keep the Red Bull seat that Tsunoda is determined to claim.
