Liam Lawson Fires Back at Tsunoda Amid Red Bull Seat Swap Drama
The 2025 Formula 1 season has kicked off with a whirlwind of drama at Red Bull, where Liam Lawson’s blunt bombshell aimed at Yuki Tsunoda has reignited the battle for Max Verstappen’s teammate seat. After a dismal start—failing to reach Q2 in Australia and China—Lawson’s position in the RB21 is under fire, with whispers of an imminent swap with Racing Bulls star Tsunoda growing louder ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. But the Kiwi driver isn’t backing down, delivering a savage takedown of his rival’s credentials while exposing the brutal truth about Red Bull’s tricky beast of a car. Is this the end of Lawson’s Red Bull dream, or a defiant stand that could reshape his F1 future?
Lawson’s debut season has been a nightmare. Crashing out in Melbourne and languishing at the back in Shanghai, he’s yet to score a point, starkly contrasting Verstappen’s podium-worthy pace. Meanwhile, Tsunoda’s P5 in Australia and P8 in China have fueled speculation that he’s primed to step up. Red Bull’s RB21, tailored to Verstappen’s knife-edge driving style, has proven a nightmare for others, with its twitchy rear end and razor-thin performance window. Lawson admits the struggle, but his latest comments shift the spotlight to Tsunoda’s past. “You can’t feel sympathy in this sport,” he declared. “I beat him in F3, in Euroformula, in New Zealand. He’s had his time—now it’s mine.” The statement, dripping with defiance, harks back to 2019 and 2020, when Lawson outshone Tsunoda in junior series, and his 2023 stint at Racing Bulls, where he scored points in Singapore while Tsunoda faltered.
Yet, Tsunoda’s resurgence can’t be ignored. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s advisor, praised the Japanese driver’s maturity, calling him “a different Yuki” in 2025—top-notch and in the form of his life. His confidence is sky-high, boldly claiming he’s “100% ready” to tame the RB21 in Japan. But Verstappen’s own bombshell adds a twist: “Liam would be faster in the Racing Bulls car. Ours is extremely tough.” The champ’s frustration is palpable—rather than fixing the car, Red Bull’s hunting for a miracle driver, a strategy he deems flawed. Christian Horner, however, remains cautious, refusing to axe Lawson outright. “He’s got potential,” Horner insisted. “We’ll support him—he just needs time.”
Time, though, is a luxury Red Bull rarely affords. With the team third in the constructors’ standings, reliant solely on Verstappen’s points, the pressure’s mounting. Tsunoda’s home race looms as a potential turning point, but history warns of pitfalls—drivers like Gasly and Albon crumbled under Verstappen’s shadow. Could Tsunoda thrive where they failed, or will the RB21 chew him up too? Lawson’s fighting to prove his past victories weren’t flukes, but whispers of Franco Colapinto circling Racing Bulls add another layer of chaos. As Red Bull’s emergency meeting nears, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Will Lawson’s bravado save him, or is Tsunoda about to steal the spotlight? The F1 world waits, gripped by this unfolding saga.
