Just two races into the 2025 Formula 1 season and already the driver’s market could be about to spring into action.
The Chinese Grand Prix was another disappointing event for Liam Lawson as he failed to score points for Red Bull.
It can be considered an even bigger disaster when you consider that his teammate Max Verstappen narrowly missed out on finishing on the podium and Lawson was still outside of the top 10 when three other drivers were disqualified.
Both Ferrari drivers were excluded alongside Pierre Gasly but Lawson could only record a P12 finish behind Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar.
For the second Grand Prix in a row, Yuki Tsunoda was denied points through no fault of his own.
Racing Bulls messed up Tsunoda’s strategy in Australia and after backing the two-stop strategy in China – which was also the wrong decision – his front wing failed and he finished last.
However, Tsunoda now looks likely to replace Lawson ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix but that’s not a decision that Verstappen can fully get behind.
READ MORE: Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents
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Red Bull are the only team in the paddock who can switch out their drivers for other active F1 racers whenever it takes their fancy.
Almost every other team would have to rely on a reserve driver although Ferrari could call up Oliver Bearman if times got desperate.
A report from F1 Insider has shared more details about the swap that’s now expected to take place between Lawson and Tsunoda over the coming days.
They believe a meeting will take place on Thursday to decide their next steps but Tsunoda is expected to take part in his home race driving for Red Bull in two weeks with Lawson driving for Racing Bulls.
The report states that Verstappen ‘isn’t happy with that’ but not because he’s got anything against Tsunoda’s promotion.
RANKDRIVERTEAMPTS1Oscar PiastriMcLaren252Lando NorrisMcLaren183George RussellMercedes154Max VerstappenRed Bull125Esteban OconHaas106Andrea Kimi AntonelliMercedes87Alex AlbonWilliams68Oliver BearmanHaas49Lance StrollAston Martin210Carlos SainzWilliams12025 Chinese Grand Prix results
He believes that Red Bull’s engineers have a ‘duty’ to build a car that can reach its limits in the hands of his teammates and not just himself.
Verstappen wants his car to have an extremely sensitive front end, something many of his past teammates have struggled with.
Furthermore, Verstappen is worried that such a fast demotion for Lawson could ‘ruin’ his career, although Pierre Gasly can attest that being dropped from Red Bull isn’t necessarily the end of the world in Formula 1.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Red Bull driver Liam Lawson laments ‘pretty tough’ Chinese Grand Prix
Lawson is having real trouble getting the RB21 into the same operating window as Verstappen and it may cost him his seat already.
Verstappen said Lawson would be faster at Racing Bulls which wasn’t meant as a dig at his teammate but more as a warning to Red Bull that the car they’ve designed is virtually impossible to drive.
After the race, Lawson said: “It was pretty tough out there, starting from the pitlane we tried something different, and it was a gamble to try and figure out the set-up of the car.
“We tried to do something aggressive, and it didn’t really work, it was quite a big step but we struggled with pace, and the car felt more tricky than Melbourne.
“Our pace in the Sprint yesterday was better. It is not something you can put into words, it is a very small window with this car and if you miss it, it is very penalising.”
Lawson knows that the more opportunities he gets to drive the car, the more likely he is to be able to consistently sit within the operating window.
Bernie Collins questioned why Red Bull didn’t copy Mercedes’ plans for Kimi Antonelli with Lawson to give him more time in an F1 car but it’s too late to consider that now.
