RB – All Out F1

“I think the people at Racing Bulls were a bit surprised themselves by the good car they’ve built this year,” Max Verstappen told reporters on Thursday at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Two weeks ago in China, the world champion made it clear that his struggling team-mate Liam Lawson would be faster in the Racing Bulls car than in Red Bull’s RB21, mainly because the VCARB 02 is “easier to drive”.

During Friday’s practice sessions in Suzuka, Verstappen’s claim appeared to hold up. In FP2 Isack Hadjar secured third, just four tenths of a second behind the fastest McLarens, while the newly demoted Lawson finished in P5, right behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen was eighth, though the margin to his now former team-mate was measurable in the hundredths of a second.

The result gives credence to what all the drivers in the Red Bull family said after practice. Lawson mentioned that the VCARB02 has a “wider operating window” than the Red Bull car, essentially confirming what everyone in the paddock already suspected.

Verstappen, in turn, admitted that Red Bull is yet to fully resolve its issues. The team introduced some small updates to the car this weekend – most likely signed off for production before the start of the season – but the four-time world champion concluded there is still work to do: “We tried various things with the car, but a lot of them didn’t work as we had hoped.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

New Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda, whose P18 wasn’t representative since one of the four red flags forced him to skip his qualifying-simulation run, also acknowledged that he had been “struggling somewhat”.

PLUS: How Tsunoda and Verstappen’s laps compare on eye-opening first day in Japan

The first practice session went better than expected, according to Tsunoda, but afterwards he found that the RB21 felt significantly different than it did in the simulator.

Tsunoda was more upbeat before getting in the car, saying that based on simulator runs the car’s difficulty had been somewhat exaggerated. Afterwards he admitted its real-life performance painted a different picture.

Comparing Verstappen’s and Hadjar’s laps

Tsunoda’s comments highlight that the Racing Bulls car is at least more driver-friendly than the Red Bull, although the RB21 should still have a slightly higher performance ceiling. But there are important caveats to Friday’s results.

A closer look at the data reveals Racing Bulls mainly gained time over Verstappen on the straights – just as Tsunoda was faster in straight-line sections during the first practice.

This could theoretically indicate something about set-up choices, but it’s more likely fuel levels and engine modes played a role – factors that could also explain why Tsunoda was relatively fast, perhaps to make a strong impression in front of his home crowd.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls telemetry comparison

Photo by: F1-Tempo

Red Bull boss Christian Horner naturally denied his team artificially boosted Tsunoda’s FP1 performance in this way but, given the situation, he would say that, wouldn’t he?

Nevertheless, the data shows Tsunoda mainly gained time in various traction phases in FP1.

When comparing Hadjar’s (P3) and Verstappen’s (P8) laps in FP2, a similar trend emerges. Verstappen was about two and a half tenths faster than Hadjar coming out of the Esses, as illustrated in the telemetry image above. Lawson mentioned that the Esses have become even more intense due to the new asphalt, almost “pulling drivers’ heads off their shoulders”.

Looking at our other telemetry overlay, below, adds some important context to this. Most of the full-throttle sections are highlighted in white, indicating that Hadjar gained most of his time in these areas – particularly in traction phases.

At the hairpin and when entering Spoon, Verstappen gains time again – just as he did in the Esses – putting him 0.130s ahead of Hadjar’s lap time as he exits Spoon. That advantage is then negated on the full-throttle stretch leading to the final chicane, emphasising that the Racing Bulls car is gaining on the straights.

This is further reinforced by the fact Verstappen went through 130R faster than Hadjar. After accelerating out of the final chicane, Verstappen is just slightly ahead of Hadjar’s delta time but, in the sprint to the finish line, this turns into a 0.152s advantage for the Racing Bulls driver.

Photo by: F1-Tempo

The overall picture shows that, while Racing Bulls performed surprisingly well and Red Bull still has a lot of work to do at Suzuka, the sight of both sister-team cars ahead of Verstappen may not be entirely representative.

There are many ‘hidden’ variables during Friday practice. For instance, Helmut Marko has frequently pointed out that Red Bull tends to run cautious engine modes in these sessions – which, while not explaining away the RB21’s vices, is an important factor to keep in mind when analysing the results.

Do the long runs on Friday actually mean anything?

Most teams factor a race simulation into their FP2 run plans, which we can analyse to give some insight into race pace. Circumstances at Suzuka rendered that more challenging than usual.

Four red flags made for a staccato second practice session that yielded little useful data, meaning the numbers below – sourced from data partner PACETEQ – are based on the first session. Here the run plans are different and usually a little shorter.

Despite this, the overview confirms McLaren is strong and once again the clear favourite this weekend. Lando Norris recorded the fastest extended run while also maintaining relatively low tyre degradation – despite his radio complaints about graining.

Behind, the order is less definitive. For instance, Aston Martin’s runs were very short and showed significant tyre wear, so its pace would have inevitably dropped over a longer stint. The same applies to the next name on the list, who doesn’t really belong there: Nico Hulkenberg.

All things considered, George Russell emerged as McLaren’s closest challenger – a position with which Norris and Oscar Piastri concurred. The Mercedes driver was about 0.32s per lap slower, placing him just ahead of the Ferraris.

Red Bull’s numbers, on the other hand, look significantly worse, with two key caveats. First, the long runs in this session weren’t particularly telling.

Second, the overall picture only confirms what Verstappen already acknowledged: Friday was a tough day for Red Bull, a team that has a lot of work ahead.

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Ronald Vording

Formula 1

Red Bull Racing

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Formula 1/suzuka

Lawson relishing Racing Bulls F1 car’s ‘wider window’

Liam Lawson says he has enjoyed his return to Racing Bulls at Suzuka despite his harsh demotion from Red Bull, feeling at ease in the team’s vastly different Formula 1 car.

After two difficult race weekends Lawson’s Red Bull stint was cut short by the team’s management, which opted to try his former Racing Bulls team-mate Yuki Tsunoda instead.

Having felt he needed more time to get used to Red Bull’s tricky to drive RB21 car, which he ultimately wasn’t afforded, Lawson got up to speed much quicker in the VCARB 02, taking fifth in an admittedly disjointed Suzuka FP2, less than half a tenth behind new team-mate Isack Hadjar.

“It felt good. It is definitely a different feeling to drive,” Lawson said about his first day in his new car. “I think the window that the guys have at the moment is very, very good. And the car has been fast so far this season, so hopefully we can replicate that tomorrow as well.

“It’s a very cool track. With the resurfacing sector one is even faster now, so it just feels like it’s tearing your head off, which is quite exciting.”

At Racing Bulls Lawson has found a warmer environment to regain his confidence, with team principal Laurent Mekies adamant that his priority was to help the 23-year-old New Zealander find his feet again.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Laurent Mekies, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Motorsport Images

“He knows he has an important role to play with us in the battle we have in the midfield,” Mekies said. “He knows he has a point to prove out there, so we are all very conscious that his talent is there and it’s about finding the right conditions to extract it back out of him.”

Lawson said he had received the right support from the Anglo-Italian team to make the transition as smooth as possible: “Yeah, it’s been nice. Everybody’s been very, very positive, even from last week.

“Laurent was straight on the phone and very, very positive and saying all the things I needed to hear, going to see everyone at the factory, and obviously yesterday coming to the paddock as well.

“I’ve spent a lot of time with this team, they’re a great bunch of people. It is nice to feel that welcome back again, so hopefully we can go and have some good races together.”

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In this article

Filip Cleeren

Formula 1

Liam Lawson

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Formula 1/suzuka

You could give Lawson 100 years and he still wouldn’t be as fast as Tsunoda

Former Racing Bulls team principal Franz Tost has said Liam Lawson could have been given “100 years and he still wouldn’t be as fast” as Yuki Tsunoda, as he backed the decision to swap the pair by Red Bull.

The Milton Keynes outfit assessed the two drivers towards the end of 2024 as it became clear that they were going to replace Mexican driver Sergio Perez for the 2025 season. The team ultimately decided to promote rookie Lawson to the seat alongside Max Verstappen, but have now reversed this decision after two race weekends of the year.

Now, Tsunoda takes the seat alongside the four-time champion in front of his home crowd in Japan.

Tost, who held the role of team principal at Racing Bulls (previously Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri, and RB) from 2006 until the end of 2023, has given his thoughts on the driver moves during an interview on the Austrian ORF broadcast.

“I would have gone with Yuki Tsunoda from the start. I said that already – I made it clear last autumn. Why? Yuki is much faster than Lawson. You could give Lawson 100 years, and he still wouldn’t be as fast as Yuki. And Yuki is more experienced, so what’s the issue? It’s a very simple decision,” he explained.

“It’s definitely a confirmation that the right call was made. Yuki has incredible natural speed – I’ve been saying that for years. Now, he just needs to put it all together properly. He’s still too emotional in the car at times, and maybe that was one of the reasons they didn’t pick him over Lawson in the first place.

Franz Tost, Team Principal, Scuderia AlphaTauri

Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images

“But in terms of raw pace, Yuki absolutely belongs among the best Formula 1 drivers. And if he can now translate that into consistency, perform in the races, and keep his emotions more or less in check, then it’s going to be a very, very good season for Red Bull Racing and for Yuki Tsunoda.”

Lawson said Red Bull’s switch decision came as a surprise and he had hoped to show what he could do at a more familiar track in Suzuka, having raced their during his Super Formula days.

Tost concluded: “Knowing the track is one thing. Being fast is another. The decision to put Yuki in the car now was absolutely right, because Liam is simply too slow.”

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In this article

Lydia Mee

Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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Formula 1/suzuka

How Racing Bulls aims to “extract talent” from returning Lawson

Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies insists Liam Lawson’s talent has not “disappeared” after the New Zealander was demoted back to the team following two poor outings for Red Bull.

Lawson is back behind the wheel of a Racing Bull for the Japanese Grand Prix after his promotion to the senior team was cut short, with Yuki Tsunoda swapped in to take his place.

While he might not have been delighted to receive the news from Christan Horner, Lawson has been welcomed back into the Racing Bulls fold with open arms and Mekies wants to help him rediscover his mojo.

“Look, Liam is in a good place. He’s in good spirit. I’m not going to tell you that he was happy about the news last week, because certainly it was difficult to digest,” he said.

“But honestly, the next day he was with us in Faenza for the seat fit the day after, he was back in the sim. And here we are, we are in Japan. So he’s in good spirits.

“He knows he has an important role to play with us in the battle we have in the midfield. He knows he has a point to prove out there. So we are all very conscious that his talent is there and it’s about finding the right conditions to extract it back out of him.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Clive Mason/Getty Images

“I think we were all surprised. Of course, I think nobody was expecting that he would be back of the grid for these two races. You know, it was certainly a very tricky set of circumstances.

“But to tell you that any of us who would have anticipated that would be a lie. So, that being said, with high confidence, we think that his talent did not disappear. And we start back in that country where we left it last year.”

Red Bull’s call to opt for Lawson over Tsunoda for the 2025 drive was controversial at time, the former having completed just 11 grand prix compared to Tsunoda’s four full seasons with the junior squad.

Mekies revealed he gave both drivers his backing when the decision was taken on who would replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen’s team-mate this year.

“So, it’s an interesting one. As a team, as VCARB, our first objective is competitiveness. Our second objective is to grow the young talents for the Red Bull family,” he said.

“So, our job is to get to the end of the year, or sooner in some cases, and to put on the table one or two drivers which hopefully are of interest for our big brother – in the case of last season, we felt that was the case with both drivers.

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson – Getty Images

“That’s what we presented to Christian, to Helmut, and to the Red Bull family. Two drivers that are, according to us, able to step up into the bigger team and then, of course, the rest of the decision is completely up to them.”

That decision has since been sensationally reversed and, as Tsunoda prepares for his first race as a Red Bull driver at his home grand prix in Japan no less, Mekies backed the 24-year-old to make the grade.

“Yes, I’m sure he’s ready,” he said. “We had these questions here many, many times in the past and we kept repeating that Yuki has made an incredible step last year compared to his previous seasons.

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“We really felt that if he was going to make another step in 2025, we would be talking about a very serious level. And that’s exactly what he has done. So, credit to him.

“He also had the bad news at the end of last season. He went to Japan. He came back with a very, very strong spirit. As soon as he joined us back in Faenza, he worked extremely hard. The spirit was there. The attention to all the details was there.”

Tsunoda started well for Red Bull, finishing sixth in the first practice session at Suzuka and just a tenth of a second shy of Verstappen.

In this article

Mark Mann-Bryans

Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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Lawson not focused on F1 future after “surprising” Red Bull demotion

on 3 April 2025

Liam Lawson admits he was not expecting to be dropped by Red Bull after just two rounds and will be aiming to prove he belongs in Formula 1 – even if he does not know where his long-term future lies.

The New Zealander has been demoted to Racing Bulls following a disastrous spell at Red Bull, with Yuki Tsunoda swapping into his seat with the senior team from this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix onwards.

The brutal nature of Lawson’s removal from the team has made all the headlines ahead of the third round of the season in Suzuka, where he will once again drive for Racing Bulls having finished last year with the junior squad.

“It is maybe something I wasn’t expecting so early but something that obviously is not my decision,” he said.

“For me it’s about making the most of this opportunity now and still being in Formula 1, I still have that.

“I think I was more surprised. It’s very early in the season and I would say I was hoping to go to a track that I’d raced before and have a clean weekend to have a chance like that.

“But the decision obviously was made when I was told. So, although it was tough to hear, I had one or two days to think about it.”

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Lawson revealed the details of how he was informed of the decision to replace him with Tsunoda ahead of a race he was looking forward to following a tough start to the year.

“I had no idea in China. It was something that was decided, I guess, the Monday or Tuesday afterwards. I found out after China, basically. It was, I think, for all of us probably more unexpected, but it was after the weekend,” he said.

“It was more of a done deal [when he was told]. I left China starting preparations for Japan and I had a phone call saying that this is what was going to happen.

“I was looking forward from the start, to be honest, to go to a track that I’ve been to before just to have a proper preparation.

“I think the ingredients are there [at Racing Bulls] and the main thing is coming here at a track that I’ve driven as well. I think, hopefully, I slot right in and feel comfortable, but we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Lawson is not the first driver to find himself moved from Red Bull to an iteration of their second team, but others had more than two races to show they were worthy of a seat at the top table.

None of the previous drivers to be demoted have ever found a way back to a Red Bull drive and Lawson, twice asked if that now had to be his intention, was keen to remain focused on the here and now.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images

“I think we know how Formula 1 is and how quickly things change. I mean, if I look back a year ago, I had no seat. I was here a year ago watching and wishing I was racing,” he added.

“Then I had the opportunity to race at the end of last year and the opportunity then to go to Red Bull Racing. So, a lot has happened in 12 months. So, for me, the main thing is being in a car, and I have the opportunity to prove I belong here and that’s what I’ll try and do.

“In terms of where my future is. I don’t know and, for me, the only way I can control that is by driving fast. I guess that [a Red Bull return] is part of the conversation. I guess in a way that’s great, but obviously I was already there starting the season and was focused on proving myself in the team at that point.

“So, look, whatever happens down the line is more or less out of my control. What I can control is the driving stuff to prove that. So, yeah, where the future goes, honestly, at this point, I’m not really thinking about it too much.”

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In this article

Mark Mann-Bryans

Formula 1

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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“Definitely not something I expected”

on 2 April 2025

Liam Lawson has revealed that his demotion to Racing Bulls, after just two grands prix at Red Bull in the 2025 Formula 1 season, came as a surprise.

After Lawson struggled at both Melbourne and Shanghai – including qualifying 20th twice in China – Red Bull decided the situation called for an immediate driver swap, giving Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda a long-awaited chance in the main team.

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Meanwhile, Lawson will strive to put his season back on track after a confidence-sapping stint in Milton Keynes, but having to settle for Racing Bulls again is obviously not what he was hoping for.

“It was definitely a shock, honestly,” Lawson told Sky Sports on Wednesday. “It’s not something that I saw coming.

“The discussions we were having as well, I think, weren’t really leaning in this direction, so it was definitely not something that I expected.”

Red Bull lost the constructors’ title last year due to how weakly Sergio Perez was performing in its second car; the team is in for another tough battle, with a 42-point deficit on championship leader McLaren just two rounds into the season.

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Team principal Christian Horner admitted that the rationale behind the decision was the need for immediate results, although he also insisted on the importance of Lawson’s well-being.

“I think with everything that we saw in Australia and China, you could see that it was really affecting Liam quite badly,” Horner told Sky Sports.

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing RB21

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“We could have left it, and I think that Liam is a driver with talent. Maybe within half a season he would have got there, but we just don’t have that amount of time.

“It was something that was very clear to the engineering side within the team, just how much Liam was struggling with it all, and you could see that weight upon his shoulders.”

On the other hand, Lawson admitted to feeling ‘frustrated’ at not being afforded any more time, especially as Albert Park and Shanghai were two tracks he had not driven on previously, with the latter hosting a sprint weekend – featuring just one practice session.

“The car is hard to drive,” he said. “But we were going through a process of making that adjustment.

“Each session we were going out, we were sort of adjusting or getting used to something that was a little bit unknown. It’s not so much a driving style or something like that. It’s just literally adjusting. And for me, I just didn’t have the time to do that.

“But obviously, it’s not my decision, so I’m here to make the most of this one.”

In this article

Ben Vinel

Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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The message Red Bull has sent to young talent with its Lawson and Tsunoda swap

on 28 March 2025

Christian Klien, Scott Speed, Sebastien Bourdais, Daniil Kvyat (twice), Pierre Gasly, Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo – the list of drivers being replaced mid-season by Red Bull or its sister team is lengthy. As of this week, Liam Lawson joins that group and, in a way, he’s even a record-breaker: no Red Bull-contracted driver has been dropped faster. That Lawson was given just two rounds with the senior team is remarkable, even by Red Bull standards, particularly when considering both tracks were new to him.

Lawson’s demotion: Ruthless or protective?

When Motorsport.com/Autosport caught up with Helmut Marko in the Shanghai paddock last weekend and put Lawson’s comments to him – “I need more time in the car, but I know I don’t have it”- Marko simply replied: “He’s right.”

It might not have been the answer Lawson was hoping for, but speaks volumes about Red Bull’s philosophy: open and straightforward, but also brutal and mentally challenging for drivers. Most of the names on the list can relate to it: early-morning phone calls, mid-season exits, and even de Vries finding out months after his dismissal that Marko called him the “biggest mistake” of his career.

Red Bull isn’t afraid to act quickly when things don’t go to plan, with Sergio Perez being the only exception in recent years. Red Bull showed uncharacteristic patience with the Mexican, but that was largely due to substantial backing from his sponsors. As Lawson’s brief stint shows, the real problem may not lie with the driver, but with a notoriously difficult car – something Max Verstappen has repeatedly alluded to when Perez’s performances were discussed in the media.

Lawson’s removal from the Red Bull seat is perhaps the most extreme example to date, although it can be seen differently as well. Christian Horner stressed in China that Red Bull has “a responsibility” towards the New Zealander. It could be interpreted as giving him more time in the main team, but also as removing him from an impossible situation: dealing with the RB21 and trying to keep up with Verstappen in equal machinery. Putting him back into a more forgiving environment – both in terms of pressure and the car – might save his F1 career long-term.

The Antonelli example: TPC testing and playing the long game

Red Bull’s way of dealing with junior drivers differs from most F1 teams. The way Mercedes has brought Andrea Kimi Antonelli in is a prime example. When the young Italian was announced at Monza, team boss Toto Wolff said: “Five minutes after Lewis told me he that was going to Ferrari, I already made up my mind.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Mercedes AMG

The reality was a bit different. Just a week prior to that in Zandvoort, Wolff had openly talked about the possibility of luring Verstappen to Mercedes, but his words in Monza were all about perception and the message of supporting his own drivers. Once the Verstappen option had faded for 2025, Mercedes closed ranks around Antonelli, shielding him from all pressure and media speculation.

Beyond this messaging, Mercedes backed up its words with extensive preparation. Antonelli has covered over 9,000km in Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) sessions, whereas Lawson only got a filming day in Abu Dhabi and a Silverstone test in the RB20. During the post-session test at the Yas Marina Circuit he surprisingly drove the Racing Bulls car, with Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar in the Red Bull cars – even though it was clear by then that Lawson would get the nod for the second Red Bull seat.

While Lawson wasn’t a total rookie with 11 grands prix under his belt, the lack of an extensive TPC programme is still an interesting factor, especially given how effective those have been for others. Piastri greatly benefited from his extensive testing with Alpine (even if McLaren ultimately capitalised on it), and Ferrari gave Hamilton a taste of Maranello machinery well ahead of his 2025 debut.

Given how specific the Red Bull car characteristics are – “a [computer] mouse with sensitivity on 100%” as Alex Albon put it – some extra seat time in cars with that philosophy wouldn’t have hurt Lawson.

The Red Bull programme and a changed landscape

For years, Red Bull’s biggest edge in driver development was speed: how quickly it could bring talent into F1. Seven of the current 20 drivers on the grid came through Red Bull’s system. It’s an impressive stat and speaks to the opportunity that the brand offers. But the model is high-risk, high-reward. Even from karting, Red Bull favours quick transitions into single-seaters, often with the pressure to deliver straightaway – even though the step from karting to single-seaters is a difficult one.

Furthermore, times have changed a bit. Red Bull was once the only team investing this heavily in junior talent, but this season the F1 grid features no fewer than six rookies. More teams have started to bet on young talent, with Oliver Bearman’s Ferrari debut in Jeddah serving as a wake-up call. An F2 driver that was struggling with Prema at the time stepped into a Ferrari and delivered a near-flawless weekend. It gave teams like Mercedes and Sauber the belief that backing youth for 2025 would be the right thing to do – especially if properly prepared.

Oliver Bearman, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

In this new reality, Red Bull no longer has a monopoly on fast-tracking talent to F1. Alongside the Ferrari Driver Academy – responsible for Charles Leclerc – there is now serious investment in driver development at Mercedes, Alpine, McLaren and Williams.

Yes, Red Bull still has the best track record and has produced generational talents like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen – even if Verstappen was signed just before his F1 promotion and not really nurtured by Red Bull. But since the Verstappen and Carlos Sainz line-up at Toro Rosso in 2015 many of the brightest talents have emerged elsewhere. Top-tier prospects climbing the ladder have tended to come through at other programmes: Leclerc (Ferrari), Norris (McLaren), Russell and Antonelli (Mercedes), Piastri (Alpine, and then McLaren).

When it comes to Red Bull, Arvid Lindblad is rated highly and Hadjar has made a good impression so far, but the developments in recent years do raise the question: is Red Bull still the best place for young talent, is it the benchmark it used to be?

Does perception matter more than ever before?

In today’s hyper-competitive landscape of chasing young talent, Red Bull must try to be the most attractive path to F1. That applies not just to how quickly it can promote drivers to F1 with two teams on the grid, but how effectively it nurtures and supports them beyond that promotion. Dropping a driver from the main team after just two race weekends sends a message that will not resonate well with the next generation.

If young talents in karting have interest from various junior programmes, examples like the Lawson decision are likely to be part of their considerations. It is that perception Red Bull has to take into account to some extent, especially if Verstappen decides to leave Red Bull one day. After all, that’s when a strong junior programme could be invaluable.

Red Bull used to have that succession plan in place, but there’s work to be done to restore past glories: not just on track and in the spotlight of F1, but also on the ladder that should take young talent there. As the grid evolves and Red Bull’s rivals refine their pathways to F1, perception matters more than ever. Weeks like this may not help.

In this article

Ronald Vording

Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson

Red Bull Racing

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Is Racing Bulls “wasting” its potential with strategy errors in F1 2025?

on 28 March 2025

Before the 2025 Formula 1 campaign actually began, figuring out the pecking order in the midfield based on pre-season testing was tricky, with the data pointing to a close fight.

Fast-forward two weeks, and Racing Bulls has consistently qualified top of the midfield – Yuki Tsunoda fifth in Melbourne, then Isack Hadjar up to seventh at Shanghai with his team-mate ninth. China’s sprint qualifying session delivered the same verdict, with Tsunoda eighth.

Yet, if it weren’t for the Japanese racer’s sixth in the Shanghai sprint, Racing Bulls would be point-less – even with a trio of disqualifications following the Chinese Grand Prix.

Down Under rain throws race upside down

The first missed opportunity came in Australia, where Tsunoda was overtaken by Charles Leclerc on the opening lap but ran sixth for most of the wet-dry-wet race.

When it started raining again at Albert Park, most cars pitted for intermediate tyres on lap 44. However, like the Ferraris, the Racing Bulls driver stayed out until lap 47, when increased rain meant they had no choice but to follow suit and change tyres. Tsunoda eventually finished 12th.

“We understood everything,” he commented a few days later in the Shanghai paddock. “It’s obviously a bit of a gamble and, at the same time, probably we had very painful memories from Brazil last year that we didn’t stay out, so definitely maybe that was creating a bit of a difficult decision for us.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Back at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix, Tsunoda ran third for the first 26 laps, then was overtaken by Esteban Ocon and further lost out when he pitted for full-wet rubber while three drivers – Max Verstappen and both Alpine racers – were able to change tyres during a subsequent red flag and lock out the podium positions.

As far as the recent Melbourne race is concerned, Tsunoda said it was “hard” for him “to monitor every single corner because every lap keeps changing”. However, he added: “It was quite a clear situation that we should box. We reacted too late.

“I don’t think I made a mistake in terms of communication, everything, I’m pretty happy with it. We know what’s happened, and the team definitely apologised to me right after the race. That’s the most important thing, and we move on.”

Speaking to Autosport in an exclusive interview, team principal Laurent Mekies was keen to point out Racing Bulls had got other decisions right in that same race, but still took responsibility for this failure.

“We got the last [call] badly wrong,” Mekies said. “There is no bad luck, bad luck doesn’t exist in this game. So, we got it wrong.”

With hindsight, the Frenchman wishes the team’s strategists had accepted to “cut [their] losses” as early as they realised staying on track was not going to pay off – like Red Bull, Alpine and Haas did with Verstappen, Gasly and Ocon respectively – instead of gambling further on an eventual improvement in track conditions or a potential race interruption.

“In the end, [cutting your losses] is what it is about,” Mekies insisted. “If you are not in the first train of cars and you see an opportunity, if you don’t take it, you need to accept that you have lost something already compared to the guys that pitted straight away.

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“So it’s how much, in that position, you accept to cut your losses – meaning ‘guys, it’s still a very good result, it’s raining out there’, compared to dreaming in that case of something even better which will never materialise, because the hard fact is that it’s too wet.

“It’s a work in progress. We’re still a young team, but I have no doubt that we have everything to perform very well in these conditions.”

Incidentally, Racing Bulls may be – to some extent – Red Bull’s junior squad, but calling it a “young team” is a stretch. After all, the team joined F1 in 1985 as Minardi and has been owned by the energy drinks giant for nearly 20 years, becoming an elaborate race operation with two race victories to its name.

Two stops – one too many – in China

Racing Bulls could have made amends for its Melbourne error at Shanghai – and to some extent did so in the sprint race as Tsunoda scored a valuable three points, but a much bigger opportunity was squandered on Sunday.

Pirelli had made it clear before the race that the only viable strategy would be a two-stopper, regardless of the compounds that may be used. The Italian brand’s motorsport chief Mario Isola added “I don’t think it’s a three-stop” and didn’t even mention the potential for a straightforward one-stop tactic, so remote did it look at the time.

In the end, tyre degradation was much less than planned, and all cars switched to a one-stop strategy, with a few notable exceptions: Lewis Hamilton (who had nothing to lose when he pitted again), Liam Lawson (who was terribly struggling)… and the Racing Bulls cars.

From ninth and seventh on the grid respectively, Tsunoda and Hadjar ran eighth and ninth in their first stint, then ninth and 12th in the middle run, before dropping to 15th and 16th following their second stop.

Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The additional performance from fresher rubber far from sufficed to compensate for the time lost in the pits. In fact, their respective fastest laps were barely faster – down to a few thousandths of a second – than Gabriel Bortoleto’s, with the Sauber driver on an effective one-stop after he pitted on lap 1.

Hadjar’s particular case highlighted the 20-year-old’s lack of experience as he felt he didn’t have the authority to question his strategy.

ANALYSIS: How did Hadjar compare to Tsunoda in first F1 race start at Shanghai?

“It’s my second race, in the end. It’s my first full race in Formula 1, so I’m not going to invent strategy,” the Frenchman, who failed to start in Melbourne after a spin on the formation lap, sullenly stated. “If we say the plan is this, then we stick to this, as simple as that. I’m not going to fight on race one.

“If we pitted only once, we would have finished in the points – at least P7,” he added – though there is little evidence he would have been able to claim such a result.

Tsunoda’s race was ultimately scuppered by the freak front wing failure he suffered late on, but he still felt he should’ve been in contention for points before that problem.

“Very disappointed,” Tsunoda lamented. “We’re losing so much points, these two races. This kind of tight season, each point is very important, and we definitely have to maximise when we have the pace in the car. Now, it’s just wasting the pace in the car. We definitely have to refocus and score points from the next race onwards.”

This may not be Tsunoda’s problem anymore as he’s moving up to the Red Bull team, but the constructors’ standings corroborate his analysis. With two rounds down, Racing Bulls already has a 14-point deficit to Williams, which is currently fourth – on equal terms with Ferrari. Sixth-placed Haas leads the Italian outfit by 11 points.

Twenty-two grands prix to go is more than enough time for Racing Bulls to recover its deficit – but the Faenza-based squad can’t afford for its strategy to be a weakness in every race.

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In this article

Ben Vinel

Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda

Isack Hadjar

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The five factors behind Red Bull swapping Lawson and Tsunoda in F1 2025

on 27 March 2025

It’s no secret that Red Bull is known for quick decisions when it comes to the driver market, but even by its standards, a change after just two race weekends is extreme. However, Red Bull has deemed it necessary to swap Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda.

The decision is presented as a collective one, after a high-level meeting in Dubai on Tuesday with team principal Christian Horner, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko and the Thai shareholders. Tsunoda gets his long-awaited shot at Red Bull after more than four years with the sister team, while Lawson is sent back to the junior outfit for now.

But what are the reasons for it, and why has the team acted ahead of the Japanese GP?

1. No signs of rapid improvement in the data

When Autosport first broke the news about the looming driver swap on Sunday, Horner reacted in the Shanghai paddock saying the team would take a good look at the numbers: “We have plenty of data from the first two races and we’ll go through that in the upcoming days.” When asked if it was better to wait for Suzuka or Bahrain – tracks Lawson was familiar with – the team boss replied: “These guys get up to speed so quickly nowadays.” In other words, Red Bull didn’t see a reason to delay their decision any longer. It was a clear indication of what was to come.

It implies that the data Horner was talking about didn’t show many signs of quick improvements on the horizon. As the focus in car development has to shift toward 2026 at some point, Red Bull felt it couldn’t afford to wait. Lawson himself seemed aware of the ticking clock as well, saying on Saturday: “I just need more time in the car, but I know I don’t have it.” When Autosport put those words to Marko, the Austrian replied: “He’s right.”

Paddock sources suggested that Lawson might have bought himself more time with a strong result in China, a points finish after starting from the pitlane, but that breakthrough performance never came. Red Bull saw no upward trend – however short the timeline may have been – and felt that waiting for the upcoming triple-header wouldn’t change things.

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Ironically, Lawson’s adaptation was named as one of the key reasons for his promotion last winter, along with his mental strengths. But in a top team and with an extremely difficult car to drive for everyone else than Max Verstappen, that adaption was too much to ask.

2. Honda’s influence behind the scenes

Another key factor in Tsunoda’s promotion is Honda’s role behind the scenes. The Japanese manufacturer is reportedly contributing around €10million and therefore sweetening the financial side of this move. It’s particularly relevant given the expensive replacement of Sergio Perez at the end of 2024. Honda’s backing has long been pivotal in Tsunoda’s Red Bull career, and now helps to tip the scales once again.

The timing of Honda’s backing is very interesting. Just weeks ago, the brand suggested that Tsunoda would need to prove himself independently with Honda’s future partnership with Aston Martin looming. But this opportunity was too good to pass up for all parties involved. Having a Japanese driver at the main team serves as an attractive way to conclude the Red Bull-Honda era in 2025 – assuming the 2026 regulations remain intact for now.

3. Tsunoda couldn’t have done more to prove himself

Beyond financial factors, Tsunoda himself deserves credit for this promotion. Once seen by the Red Bull bosses as a hot-headed driver – especially over team radio – the 24-year-old has matured to some extent. Following Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine, Tsunoda had to step up as the team leader in Faenza, first outpacing Nyck de Vries, then going toe-to-toe with Daniel Ricciardo, whose fairytale return to Red Bull never materialised because of Tsunoda having the upper hand.

Tsunoda became more consistent during the 2024 season, and that trend has continued into this year. Marko’s comments in the Shanghai paddock were telling and already hinted on a driver change: “Yuki is in the form of his life” and “this is a different Yuki than the one we saw in previous years”.

Still, it’s a notable shift in a short time frame. Just four months ago, Red Bull looked at all the factors and data and opted for Lawson, seemingly discounting Tsunoda’s experience and technical feedback. Now, those aspects play a prominent role in the team’s press release. It underlines that things can change quickly in F1 – especially within the Red Bull camp.

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

4. Red Bull has more to lose with Lawson than with Tsunoda

One of Horner’s most interesting remarks on Sunday was: “We have a responsibility towards Liam, and we’ll look at what’s best for him.” At first glance, these words suggested giving him more time and therefore more races at Red Bull. But in reality, the quotes were meant slightly differently: taking responsibility by pulling Lawson out of a high-pressure situation.

Yes, the demotion is a blow to Lawson’s career momentum and confidence. But leaving him to struggle alongside Verstappen week after week might’ve done more damage in the end.

Red Bull probably sees more long-term value in protecting Lawson than Tsunoda, whose future was already uncertain beyond 2025 given Honda’s departure. As Marko said in Bahrain: “If Yuki performs well, then there’s a future. If not, then maybe there is no more chance in F1 for him.”

If Tsunoda fails at Red Bull in the remainder of this season, the Milton Keynes-based team can say it has given him the chance and move on. It’s a lower-risk proposition both financially (thanks to Honda) and strategically. The PR risk of putting Tsunoda in the very difficult Red Bull car in front of his home fans in Japan is high, but even if it fails, Red Bull might consider it a manageable loss long term, especially knowing his future was uncertain beyond 2025 anyway. Lawson, meanwhile, could be rehabilitated in an easier car – a sentiment echoed by Verstappen in China: “I think if you give Liam the Racing Bulls car, he’ll be quicker. I really think that.”

5. The high-pressure situation Red Bull is in

Ultimately, this move speaks volumes about the urgency Red Bull feels and the situation it is in. In the press release to announce the swap, Horner was quoted: “We came into the 2025 season, with two ambitions, to retain the world drivers’ championship and to reclaim the world constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision.”

Whether Tsunoda’s promotion over Lawson helps achieve those goals remains to be seen, and most likely it won’t make much of a difference, but it reflects the urgency. There’s pressure on both the driver line-up and the technical team. With focus inevitably turning to 2026 at some point, Red Bull knows that the first upgrades have to be spot-on. At the same time it can’t afford too many pointless weekends with the second car if it doesn’t want to lose sight of the constructors’ title already.

Red Bull feels it has to do “something”, and without many other options on the drivers’ front, “something” is giving Tsunoda’s his long-awaited chance at the main team. The real solution, however, needs to come from car development instead of driver changes – not least to prove Verstappen that Red Bull can still turn its fortunes around. If the constant struggles with its second seat have made anything clear, it is that the problem is more in the Red Bull car and not the drivers.

Read Also:

In this article

Ronald Vording

Formula 1

Max Verstappen

Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson

Helmut Marko

Christian Horner

Red Bull Racing

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Everything to know about Tsunoda’s F1 career amid the Red Bull driver swap