Yuki Tsunoda breaks his silence after being announced as a replacement for Liam Lawson at Red Bull Racing

While reports after the F1 Chinese Grand Prix almost confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda would move to Red Bull for the Japanese Grand Prix, the news was made official by the Austrian giant shortly after. Since then, no team member had spoken about the move taking place, but the Japanese driver has now broken his silence and shared a message on Red Bull's social media while donning the navy blue race suit.

Tsunoda was pipped by Liam Lawson for the Red Bull seat during the winter break as Sergio Perez was ousted from the team. The New Zealander was able to convince Horner & Co. for a promotion and made the situation with Tsunoda seem like a mess.

The 24-year-old was signed for another year with Racing Bulls, while other teams on the grid expressed their interest in hiring him. Moreover, Red Bull's move to choose Lawson appeared as a dead-end for Yuki Tsunoda within the Austrian stable.

However, the Kiwi's inability to score points in a top seat of the F1 grid drew the senior figures' patience thin, who decided to sack the incumbent driver after merely two races. Tsunoda then superseded Lawson for the seat and shared his first reactions after becoming a Red Bull driver, as he said:

"Hello everyone, this is Yuki. 'I'm looking forward to running my home Grand Prix in Red Bull Racing."

Liam Lawson had retired out of the rain-struck Australian Grand Prix and finished outside the points in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix in China.

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Liam Lawson's struggles perfectly worked out for Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull dreams

Yuki Tsunoda at the F1 post-season test in Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

Yuki Tsunoda made his debut with Red Bull's B-team in 2021 and spent years developing as a driver in the junior team. Though being snubbed for the seat at the senior team initially seemed like a setback for him, the Japanese driver pushed back even harder, and Lawson's struggles amplified the effect.

Opening up on why the New Lander was swapped for Tsunoda, team supremo Christian Horner said (via Red Bull Racing):

"It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and as a result we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch. 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."

"We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car. We welcome him to the Team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21," he added.

Yuki Tsunoda will have a chance to score a strong result at his home Grand Prix as he will race for the senior team with better machinery this year.