Yuki Tsunoda inching closer to replacing Liam Lawson at Red Bull for the F1 Japanese GP: Reports

Liam Lawson will reportedly be sacked this week as Red Bull is likely planning to replace him with Yuki Tsunoda at the Japanese Grand Prix. According to ESPN, team principal Christian Horner's first task at hand upon return to the Milton Keynes factory is to reconsider the drivers' lineup.

Red Bull Racing mutually parted ways with Sergio Perez at the end of the 2024 season after losing the constructors championship to McLaren. Since Perez's points deficit to his teammate Max Verstappen soared to 200+ points, the team finalized his sacking.

However, Red Bull made headlines when they appointed Liam Lawson, who had 11 race starts experience before 2025, as Perez's replacement over Yuki Tsunoda, who has been racing for sister team VCARB since 2021.

Moreover, Lawson's Red Bull debut was marked by a nightmarish start as he exited in Q1 of the qualifying session in Australia and faced a DNF in the wet race held later in the weekend.

In China, his performance didn't improve as he qualified P20 and finished the race at P15, which was later revised to P12 after three disqualifications.

Meanwhile, according to ESPN, Liam Lawson will likely be sacked by Red Bull this week. After just two races, the team will reportedly make the hard call to save their constructors championship campaign.

Moreover, Yuki Tsunoda, who was initially overlooked, is the frontrunner to take Lawson's seat starting from the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, which also happens to be his home race.

ESPN further claims that Red Bull officials will regroup at the Milton Keynes factory in the UK this week. Team principal Christian Horner will address the matter of the drivers' lineup on a priority basis, and an announcement could be made as early as later this week, as the Japanese GP is scheduled for April 6.

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Ralf Schumacher predicts Liam Lawson's future at Red Bull

Liam Lawson at F1 Grand Prix Of China - Source: Getty

Amid raging rumors around Liam Lawson's future at Red Bull, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has claimed that the energy drink-based team has already made a decision. He stated that Lawson is reportedly out for the next race in Japan, and Yuki Tsunoda will take over his seat.

Talking to Sky Sports, Schumacher said:

"Liam Lawson is already out for the next race. Tsunoda will replace him. He says he doesn’t have time. That’s why I believe that there must have been something behind the scenes. That’s hard for such a young man."

Meanwhile, Lawson also hinted that he is running out of time to prove himself after the Chinese GP. With two races under his belt this year, the New Zealander has visibly struggled to control the RB21, which has lacked performance compared to McLaren and Mercedes. Subsequently, the 23-year-old has failed to score points and has shown no signs of improvement, which ignited the replacement rumors.