Red Bull Ax Liam Lawson After only two races, bring Yuki Tsunoda to replace – Firstpost

Red Bull said Thursday that Liam Lawson had been ax and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, confirming the days of speculation after disappointing performance in the first two races of the F1 season.

Tsunoda will succeed New Zealanders from its Japanese Grand Prix at home next week in Suzuka, Red Bull said in a statement.

Tsunoda, 24 years old, dates back to the sister team of Racing Bulls (RB) to associate four times world champion Max Verstappen, with Lawson back down to RB, where he was last season.

Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team, said: “It was difficult to see Liam fight with the RB21 during the first two races and, therefore, we have collectively made the decision to make an early change.

“We have entered the 2025 season with two ambitions, to keep the World Pilot Championship and to recover the title of the world of manufacturers, and it is a purely sporting decision.”

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Lawson, 23, who was drafted from RB in winter to replace Sergio Perez, endured a miserable start to the season and life in one of the best teams in the grid.

He was eliminated at the first stage of the three qualification sessions and has not yet marked a point.

Verstappen in the other Red Bull is second in the title race with 36 points, eight behind the leader at the start of the Lando Norris season of McLaren.

“We have a duty to protect and develop Liam, and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it is logical to act quickly so that Liam can acquire experience, because he pursues his F1 career with racing bulls, an environment and a team that he knows very well,” added Horner.

Tsunoda has shown a pace on the two racing weekends of the season.

He was 12th at the opening of the season in Melbourne and finished until Sunday in Shanghai due to Shanghai due to the Stand Standard with two RB stops.

‘Sensational’

Tsunoda made her Formula 1 debut with Alphanauri in 2021, becoming the first Japanese driver on the grid from Kamui Kobayashi in 2014.

“We recognize that there is a lot of work to do with the RB21 and the experience of Yuki will prove to be very beneficial to help develop the current car,” said Horner.

“We welcome him to the team and we look forward to seeing him while driving RB21.”

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Tsunoda started running karts at the age of four in her native Kanagawa, just outside Tokyo.

It measures only 1.61 meters high (5 feet 3 inches) and its diminutive frame forced Alphanauri engineers to develop a custom pedal kit to make it more comfortable in the cockpit.

Tsunoda was known for her four -letters explosions to team radio, but showed a new sense of self -control last year, and that helped her performances.

Far from the races, he tries to relax in snowboarding and playing video games, which he describes as “training” to keep his cool on the track.

“His progress last year, and more recently at the beginning of 2025, are nothing less than sensational,” said Laurent Mekies, director of the RB team on Thursday.

He added: “Everyone here to (the team) is looking forward to working hard with Liam to give it the best possible environment for him to shine in our car and express the talent we all know that he has.”

Lawson will join France Isack Hadjar with RB.