Liam Lawson dropped Yuki Tsunoda promoted for Japan GP

Liam Lawson has been demoted to Racing Bulls as Yuki Tsunoda will take the New Zealander’s place at Red Bull Racing, ahead of the Japan Grand Prix.

Feature image credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

It was confirmed on Thursday morning that Lawson will be dropped from the Red Bull driver line up, after only two races with the team, and will be dropped to his former team Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda will take his place just as the sport heads to his home race.

This follows a difficult opening two rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship where the Kiwi endured three Q1 knockouts, two in standard qualifying and one in the sprint.

Lawson went on to crash in the opening round of the season and failed to score points in either of the Chinese races.

The move has been described as a ‘driver rotation’ which will see Lawson return to Racing Bulls and partner F1 rookie Isack Hadjar, whilst Tsunoda will partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

In the announcement, Red Bull Racing CEO and Team Principal, Christian Horner said:

“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.”

Ferrari issues statement following double Chinese GP disqualification

Horner went on to state that the team have a duty to ‘protect and develop’ Lawson even after a difficult start to the season. As such, the team have decided to ‘act quickly’ to allow the Kiwi to gain experience with a team he knows.

In turn, the team have had some experience working with Tsunoda with the Japanese driver taking part in the Abu Dhabi post-season test, last season. But, Horner is aware there is work to be done with the car as they chase both world championship titles.

2025 marked the Japanese driver’s fifth season in the sport and Racing Bull’s team principal, Laurent Mekies, has praised Tsunoda’s promotion. He said:

“We’re incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing! His progress last year, and more recently from the very start of 2025, has been nothing less than sensational.

“Personally, and collectively, it has been an immense privilege to witness those progresses for all of us in Faenza and in Milton Keynes.

“Yuki’s energy and positivity has lightened up every corner of our factories and of our garage and he will always be a Racing Bull! We wish him all the success he deserves at ORBR [Oracle Red Bull Racing].”

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Ferrari issues statement following double Chinese GP disqualification
• Three F1 drivers disqualified from F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix
• Piastri heads McLaren 1-2 in a commanding F1 Chinese Grand Prix
• Oscar Piastri claims maiden pole position for Chinese GP
• Lewis Hamilton claims maiden sprint race win at Chinese GP
• Hamilton secures first pole for Ferrari ahead of Chinese GP Sprint

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.