Yuki Tsunoda dead set on fighting “monster” Red Bull teammate

Yuki Tsunoda, the Racing Bulls driver, is reportedly set to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull from the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix. In a recent interview, he claimed that if he becomes Max Verstappen's teammate in the future, he is mentally ready to fight the monster.

Red Bull Racing is apparently in huge turmoil as rumors of drivers swapping have made headlines just two races into the 2025 season. Lawson replaced Sergio Perez this year, but so far, he has failed to impress. In Melbourne, he crashed in wet conditions, and a week later in China, he dropped out of points again.

Amid this, speculations of Tsunoda potentially taking over his seat from the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix have begun gaining steam. Tsunoda, who has been racing for Red Bull's sister team, VCARB, since 2021, is reportedly the frontrunner to get promoted as Verstappen's teammate, beginning from his home race in Suzuka.

Amid raging speculations, Yuki Tsunoda has made his intentions of battling the four-time world champion very clear. Talking to ViaPlay, Tsunoda addressed speculations around his potential promotion as Max Verstappen's teammate and said:

"I'm ready to fight that monster."

Unlike Liam Lawson, Tsunoda has had an impressive start to the 2025 F1 season. He made it to Q1 in the qualifying session of both the Australian and Chinese Grand Prix. While strategy mistakes from VCARB deprived him of an opportunity to score points during main races, his performance certainly turned heads.

Tsunoda earlier was also the frontrunner to replace Sergio Perez before Red Bull put faith in Lawson despite his lack of experience. However, tables have turned this year, as in two races so far, the Japanese driver has outperformed Lawson.

With less than two weeks left for the next race in Japan, all eyes will be on Red Bull and their drivers lineup.

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Ralf Schumacher advised Yuki Tsunoda against joining Red Bull

Yuki Tsunods at F1 Abu Dhabi Testing 2024 - Source: Getty

Yuki Tsunoda is likely to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull, beginning from the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix. Since the New Zealander had a horrific start to the season, finishing without points in two races, the Milton Keynes-based team is reportedly reconsidering their drivers lineup.

However, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has advised Tsunoda to reject the promotion offer from Red Bull as he believes VCARB is the better-suited car for him. Talking to Sky Germany, Schumacher said (via Planet F1):

"It’s kind of pure chaos at Red Bull. So not only is the main team too slow, but that they also swap the riders like a charade. I think that’s unbelievable. If I were Tsunoda’s manager, I wouldn’t recommend him to go there. At the moment, Racing Bulls is the better car, and Tsunoda is getting on really well with it. He can’t do himself any favors with it.”

Yuki Tsunoda is entering the final year of his contract with VCARB. Hence, this season is crucial for him as his performance will likely determine his future in the sport.