Liam Lawson axed by Red Bull in favour of Yuki Tsunoda for F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Kiwi Components 1 racer Liam Lawson’s stint as a Purple Bull driver has come to a screeching halt, axed from the workforce after simply two grands prix.

Lawson, 23, was promoted to Purple Bull within the low season to associate four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

However the New Zealander will probably be despatched again to Racing Bulls, Purple Bull’s sister workforce, in favour of Honda-backed Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, forward of subsequent week’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Lawson drove 11 grands prix for Racing Bulls (previously AlphaTauri and RB), when he crammed in for Daniel Ricciardo in 2023 after the Australian broke his wrist, then completely changed Ricciardo for the ultimate six rounds of 2024.

The Kiwi was Tsunoda’s teammate for all 11 race weekends and was favoured forward of the Japanese driver after Purple Bull elected to pay Mexican Sergio Perez a big sum of cash to exchange him in 2025, regardless of having one yr left on his contract.

However throughout poor weekends in Australia and China, Lawson has not been in control.

Whereas world champion teammate Verstappen has completed second and fourth within the grands prix, and second in a dash race at China, Lawson is but to attain a championship level.

In each qualifying periods for China’s dash race and grand prix, Lawson was lifeless final, whereas Verstappen was battling for pole place.

In distinction, Tsunoda has been terrific for the junior workforce by means of the 2 weekends.

Tsunoda has exceeded expectations in qualifying, driving his Racing Bulls automotive into the highest 10 for each grand prix qualifiers and the dash qualifying. 

He missed out on factors in each grands prix, cruelled twice by poor technique calls from his workforce.

He positioned sixth within the dash race to attain three championship factors — a beneficial haul for a workforce who completed seventh in final yr’s constructors’ championship with 46 factors whole.