Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Red Bull and Racing Bulls are the only words appearing to Formula 1 fans’ feeds these days. The Austrian outfit is under spotlight once again. This time, for reasons not so favorable to the team or the reputation of their drivers. Yes, the McLarens are the fastest cars of the season as seen in the first two races. Yes, Max Verstappen is nowhere close to leading the world championship in the state his car is in. But none of these topics could divert the paddock and F1 community away from Red Bull’s over-the-top and drastic team decisions.
In a shameful Deja Vu, the Formula 1 paddock might be witnessing yet another mid-season driver change. This time, Red Bull has decided to ruin the rookie driver, Liam Lawson. The Bulls could not wait to fire him before his Formula 1 season even kicked off properly. They think that two weeks of racing are all that’s needed to assess a driver. Read ahead to know more about this potential fiasco and inter-team drama!
Yuki Tsunoda is Presented with the Opportunity of a Lifetime
Yuki Tsunoda made his intentions clear for the season. He was not going to back down and play the puppet Red Bull wanted him to be. Fueled by his desire to claim the second seat alongside Verstappen, Tsunoda put in an astonishing performance for the Racing Bulls in the first two races of the season. Yuki Tsunoda secured top-10 in qualifying for both races. Although, he could not get much further due to the botched strategy calls from his team. Tsunoda’s performance during the qualifying sessions was enough to prove the raw speed the RBs held in the midfield.
He was pushed back to the second seat after Lawson got his chance at Red Bull. Tsunoda was not satisfied with these results. But his performances might just have earned him the golden ticket to race for Red Bull Racing. Reports claim that Red Bull will be replacing Liam Lawson in favor of Yuki Tsunoda for the Japanese Grand Prix. The young Kiwi lost his seat owing to his meager performance compared to Max Verstappen. Instead of fixing their disaster of a car, Red Bull have decided they need another driver to test the capabilities of their 2025 season challenger. The reports are not confirmed by Christian Horner. There is no official announcement from Red Bull or Racing Bulls either. However, many reputable sites like Motorsports.com and Sky Sports have confirmed this swap.
Liam Lawson- Demoted or Destroyed?
The future looks bright for Yuki Tsunoda, but it is even more grim for Liam Lawson. He would have felt a little bit of relief about being relegated to the second team. But the paddock is full of rumors about how Franco Colapinto might be the driver of the choice for Racing Bulls instead of Lawson. Liam Lawson would pay for his mistakes in 2025 with a budding career in Formula 1. It would be disheartening to see a young man of his caliber kicked out of F1 for a team’s mismanagement.
Do you think if the rumors are confirmed, Liam Lawson’s fate is sealed? Will he end up leaving F1 or will Franco Colapinto lose his shot at a potential F1 seat in 2025? Follow The Playoffs for more news and rumors in Formula 1!
AloJapan.com