According to sources, Red Bull is seriously thinking about replacing Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda for the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, after just two races with Lawson.
Lawson`s start with Red Bull hasn`t been ideal, including a retirement in Australia and a 12th place finish in China – initially 15th before disqualifications of other drivers improved his position. Furthermore, he hasn`t progressed beyond Q1 in any qualifying sessions.
Red Bull chose Lawson to take Sergio Pérez`s seat this season after Pérez had been with the junior team, Racing Bulls, for just 11 races over two years.
Tsunoda, about to start his fifth year with the secondary team, was initially passed over for the Red Bull seat, but now it seems he might finally get the chance to move up.
Rumors about a potential driver change intensified during the Chinese GP weekend after Lawson mentioned he felt he lacked sufficient time, although he later clarified his remarks.
“It`s more about being in the middle of the season,” he explained. “There`s no opportunity to test the car and properly adjust to it because we`re already racing. Every race where I`m not performing perfectly, we are losing points. That’s what I meant by not having time.”
“But I`m realistic and understand that I`m here to deliver results, and if I don`t, my time here will be short. So, my focus is on adapting to the car as quickly as possible.”
“It`s fair to say that we are not satisfied. None of us are content with the current situation.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is expected to prioritize this potential driver switch this week as the team returns to their base in the UK.
Sources suggest that a definitive decision is anticipated early this week.
Horner had several opportunities to deny the swap during media interactions after the Chinese race but avoided doing so.
“Look, I believe everything is just speculation at this point,” he stated. “We`ve just concluded the race. We`ll gather the information and analyze it thoroughly.”
He added, “I think Liam still possesses potential, but we`re not seeing it materialize right now.”
“I think his difficulty is that he’s had a couple of very challenging weekends. The media attention is intense, and naturally, pressure increases in this sport. I sympathize with him because it’s clearly very demanding for him at the moment.”
When pressed about whether he could alleviate some of this pressure by confirming Lawson`s place for the Japanese GP, Horner again declined to commit.
“We are only two races into the season, and as I said, we`ve just finished this race. We will take away the data and assess the situation.”
Reports have also linked Argentine driver Franco Colapinto with a move to Red Bull`s junior team, which might lead to Lawson being dropped entirely. However, sources have indicated to ESPN that these reports seem unlikely, and Colapinto is still expected to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine before the European part of the season.
Colapinto joined Alpine as a reserve driver this year, on loan from Williams.
Rupert Caldwell 
Tristan Blackwood