Liam Lawson, tapped by the team to replace Sergio Pérez, was out and Yuki Tsunoda, passed over initially by the team to replace Pérez, was in. That move sparked a debate throughout the Formula 1 world regarding how Red Bull continues to handle their second driver.

That sensitivity and haphazardness show the scale of the task ahead for Yuki Tsunoda, ahead of his Red Bull debut this weekend at his home race in Japan. Tsunoda received the call-up after a torrid first two races for Liam Lawson in Australia and China, which included a crash and two back-of-the-pack qualifying results.

Max Verstappen confirmed Thursday he was unhappy with Red Bull’s ruthless driver swap for the Japanese Grand Prix, saying his endorsement of a social media post criticizing the move “speaks for itself”.

Yuki Tsunoda got his first taste of the Red Bull RB21 in Friday practice at Suzuka, where he put in a commendable first showing. Having got the nod to step into Liam Lawson’s vacated RB21 after the first two races of the F1 2025 season,

Two races into the 2025 Formula 1 season Red Bull shocked the paddock, demoting Liam Lawson after picking him to replace Sergio Pérez. Lawson heads back to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls and Yuki Tsunoda,

Yuki Tsunoda had an excellent first free practice session with his new team, finishing only one position behind Max Verstappen. Verstappen finished 5th, with Tsunoda only three-tenths off in 6th. After the session,

Red Bull's decision to swap Liam Lawson with its junior team driver Yuki Tsunoda has had no impact on the rookie driver.

The Japanese GP will be the debut of Japan's own Yuki Tsunoda with Red Bull Racing and he would be driving the RB21 alongside his new teammate, Max Verstappen.