In a dramatic turn of events, Red Bull’s Liam Lawson seems to be facing the chopping block, according to Formula 1 pundit Ralf Schumacher. Speculation is rife that Yuki Tsunoda is set to take his place, starting with the Japanese Grand Prix. This comes on the heels of Lawson’s lackluster performance in the first two races of the F1 2025 championship.
Despite having been chosen over Tsunoda to replace Sergio Perez, Lawson’s tenure with the Red Bull team appears to be hanging in the balance. With his underwhelming performance in the RB21 at the start of the season, questions are being raised about his future in the team.
Lawson’s unimpressive start to the season saw him eliminated in Q1 in all three qualifying sessions. His struggles continued in China where he was the slowest driver. Despite attempts to salvage the situation through setup changes to his Red Bull, Lawson finished a minute behind his teammate Max Verstappen, crossing the line at a disappointing 15th place. He managed to claw his way up to 12th position only after three drivers ahead of him were disqualified.
With no points to his name thus far into the season, Lawson is under immense pressure. His teammate Max Verstappen, on the other hand, holds the second position in the Drivers’ Championship.
Lawson himself seems to be acutely aware of his precarious position. After qualifying, he stated, “I don’t have time”, reiterating his sentiment on Sunday. “I don’t really have time to get used to it, but I need to figure it out as quickly,” he said. “I’m also not stupid and I know that, obviously, I’m here to perform — and if I’m not doing that, I’m not going to be around. I’m just focused on getting used to the car as quickly as I can.”
Ralf Schumacher, the Sky pundit, believes Lawson’s days with Red Bull are numbered. He made a bold declaration post-Saturday’s qualifying, stating, “You can see that his self-confidence is broken…That’s why I believe that there must have been something behind the scenes. That’s hard for such a young man.”
A day later, Schumacher made a startling claim suggesting the Red Bull leadership had made their decision. “Liam Lawson is already out for the next race. Tsunoda will replace him,” he reported to Sky Sport News.
Yet, Schumacher also suggested that Red Bull should be patient with Lawson, as any driver pitted against Max Verstappen in a car that’s “anything but good” needs ample time. He added that Red Bull should instead focus on improving the RB21.
“If I was Tsunoda’s manager, I wouldn’t recommend him to go there,” Schumacher said, hinting that Tsunoda might not fare any better in the RB21. “At the moment, Racing Bulls is the better car and Tsunoda is getting on really well with it. He can’t do himself any favours with it.”
With Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar waiting in the wings at Racing Bulls, Red Bull is set to hold a meeting this week to discuss the Lawson situation. “This week there is a meeting in Milton Keynes to discuss when and how we can close the gap,” announced Helmut Marko. “Until then, it’s about scoring as many points as possible. We are worried, but it is not like we are throwing in the towel.”
