It has been revealed that F1 star Liam Lawson found out he would be replaced by Yuki Tsunoda via the internet and was not pre-warned about the decision by Red Bull.
On Tuesday evening, Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reported that Tsunoda will ‘replace’ Lawson for the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, becoming Max Verstappen’s new Red Bull teammate.
The report claims that a meeting occurred in Dubai, UAE on Tuesday, where majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya lives.
Red Bull are yet to confirm the change at this time, however, an official announcement is expected this week.
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It has also been reported that Verstappen has been left frustrated by the decision to replace Lawson, believing the Red Bull car is the real issue.
Following the leak it has been revealed by F1 photographer Kym Illman, that Lawson was completely unaware he was being replaced until he saw it online.
“My understanding, and this is terrible, is that Liam (Lawson) was not aware of the decision (to switch Tsunoda and Lawson)," Illman said on YouTube.
"He would have heard as soon as the story came out. A terrible thing to do to a young driver," he added.
Lawson would become the Red Bull driver with the fewest Grand Prix starts ever with only two races.
The 23-year-old crashed out of his debut race in Australia after qualifying 18th on the grid.
The Kiwi's misery was compounded at round two with a 16th-place finish in China, which was later promoted to P12 following the disqualification of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly.
Following qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, Tsunoda insisted he had what it takes to replace Lawson if the decision was made.
Lawson responded: "I've raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him. And I did in F1 as well, so he can say whatever he wants."
During their time together at Red Bull's junior team, the pair have a 1-1 head-to-head record, with Lawson scoring more points in 2023, and Tsunoda outscoring the Kiwi in 2024.
SportBible have reached out to Red Bull for comment.
Topics: Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Formula 1
Tom Jenkins