Earthquake at Red Bull: Verstappen Has a New Teammate for the Japanese GP

Red Bull promotes Tsunoda and will replace Lawson to compete alongside Verstappen starting this weekend at the Japanese GP

As the saying goes, "where there's smoke, there's fire." And nothing could be further from the truth, as it has only taken two races in the 2025 F1 season to trigger an earthquake within the Red Bull team following the departure of ‘Checo’ Pérez. Starting this weekend at the Japanese GP, Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson as Max Verstappen's teammate. It will be his sixth teammate at Red Bull.

Why has Red Bull swapped Tsunoda for Lawson?

The decision was made official this morning, just days before the Japanese GP, following a week filled with speculation regarding Red Bull's second seat. "This is a purely sporting decision. We came into this season with two goals: defend the drivers' title and recover the constructors' title," said Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull.

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It’s no secret that the challenge has been too big for Liam Lawson, who hasn’t been able to adapt to a car designed specifically for Max Verstappen. The qualifying results speak for themselves in this regard. While Verstappen is in second place in the World Championship, just eight points behind Lando Norris, you have to scroll down to 17th place to find Liam Lawson, who hasn’t even scored points in the first two races of the season.

Red Bull, trailing in the Constructors' Championship

As Christian Horner pointed out, these results have been hindering Red Bull's aspirations to win the Constructors' Championship in F1. In fact, only the results have helped soften the blow in this season’s early stages, as Red Bull is in third place with 18 points—far behind the 27 points shared by Mercedes and McLaren.

"It was difficult to watch Liam (Lawson) struggle with the RB21, and as a result, we collectively decided to make this move. The car needs a lot of work, and with Yuki (Tsunoda)’s experience, we’ll work on its development,” explained Christian Horner. Tsunoda, for his part, confirmed that he is "ready for the challenge." Without a doubt, it will be a special debut for the Japanese driver as he prepares for the Grand Prix taking place this weekend in his country. We’ll see if it has the impact that Red Bull is hoping for.