How much Liam Lawson earns in F1 compared to Yuki Tsunoda with Red Bull set to make drastic decision

Liam Lawson's Red Bull contract and Yuki Tsunoda's Racing Bulls deal have been compared amid an impending swap of the two drivers.

Dutch outlet De Telegraaf first reported that Red Bull had decided to swap Lawson with Tsunoda for the Japanese Grand Prix onwards.

Lawson replaced Sergio Perez at the beginning of the season but failed to score a single point in his first two race weekends.

The Kiwi told Sky Sports F1 that he needed 'time' to get used to the specific characteristics of the Red Bull - which are different to most other cars as it is largely designed to suit team-mate Max Verstappen's unique driving style.

Lawson, however, admitted that time was not something that he was likely to get - and that statement has come true just two races into his F1 career.

He will now be replaced by Tsunoda, who was overlooked for the Red Bull seat last year but will now get his chance with the works team, five seasons into his own F1 career.

The Japanese driver will drive the car competitively for the first time at his home race in Japan, having been involved in a post-season test with the team in Abu Dhabi last year.

But how does his contract compare to Lawson's deal at Red Bull, and how will that be affected by the switch?

Unlike in other sports, F1 drivers' salaries are not published or even widely reported, barring the top stars of the sport such as Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.

Forbes named their top 10 highest-paid drivers in the sport in 2024, based on what they described as 'financial documents, legal filings and press reports, as well as conversations with industry insiders'. They based their calculations off initial salaries and performance bonuses.

Neither Tsunoda nor Lawson appeared as part of that list, with former Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly bringing up 10th place with reported earnings of $12 million per year at Alpine.

According to reports, Tsunoda earns a total of $5 million when performance bonuses are taken into account.

Lawson, meanwhile, is said to earn roughly the same figure - perhaps due to the fact that he only had six races at Racing Bulls alongside Tsunoda last season before getting promoted.

The Kiwi's Red Bull contract only runs until the end of the 2025 season, so strong performances would likely have resulted in Red Bull negotiating a much more significant deal.

As it is, his current deal appears to have made it easier for Red Bull to conduct the swap with Tsunoda, with Lawson now set to move back down to Racing Bulls.

It remains to be seen if he can get as much out of the car as Tsunoda, with the Japanese driver having ran comfortably in the points for long durations in Australia and China before strategy errors, and a car failure in Shanghai, ultimately cost him any chance of real success.