Max Verstappen set to be replaced by Red Bull for 2025 F1 Bahrain GP FP1

Red Bull's driver lineup will be changed again for the Bahrain GP as Max Verstappen will be replaced by junior driver Ayumu Iwasa. He will hop into the Dutchman's RB21 for the FP1 session of the upcoming race weekend.

Verstappen, who won his first race of the year in Japan last week, will sit out the first free practice session of the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. According to FIA guidelines, all teams are required to field their rookie or junior drivers for a total of four FP sessions throughout the course of an F1 season.

Hence, to fulfill the criteria set by FIA, Red Bull has decided to keep Verstappen out of the FP1 session in Bahrain. In his place, junior driver Iwasa will feature in the first session of the new race weekend. He will drive Max's RB21 around the Bahrain International Circuit for the first time.

Ayumu Iwasa is a 23-year-old racing driver who joined Red Bull's junior academy in 2021. Last year, he was featured in FP1 sessions at the Japanese GP and Abu Dhabi GP with VCARB. He is racing for Team Mugen in the Japanese Super Formula One championship series. Previously, he also participated in the F2 championship with DAMS.

Max Verstappen is seemingly high on confidence after winning his first race of the year in Suzuka, Japan. It turned out to be an extraordinary weekend for him as he clinched pole position, beating the fastest team on the grid, McLaren.

Moreover, during the main race on Sunday, Verstappen was aggressively chased by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, he made no mistake in driving a clean race and came home at P1. His victory boosted his position in the championship standings as his gap to leader Lando Norris was reduced by a single point.

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Max Verstappen's Red Bull teammate is unlikely to be changed for the rest of the season

Yuki Tsunoda with Max Verstappen F1 Grand Prix Of Japan Source: Getty

Red Bull went through a series of shakeups this year with regards to their driver lineup. First, they replaced Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson. But two races into the 2025 season, Lawson failed to score points and was shown the exit door.

Then, from the Japanese GP, Yuki Tsunoda took Liam's place but again failed to score points. However, regardless of Yuki's performance in Suzuka, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that he will finish the ongoing season as Max Verstappen's teammate.

"The first race went fairly smoothly. He was always two to three tenths behind Max in practice and qualifying until he was eliminated. That's quite an achievement when you don't get more time. Yuki will finish the season at Red Bull," Marko told GP Blog.

While Max Verstappen was initially unhappy with Liam Lawson's sacking, Red Bull has made up their mind on giving Tsunoda the long rope.