Topics: Formula 1, Red Bull Racing
Yuki Tsunoda's true feelings on Liam Lawson have re-emerged amid reports that the pair could swap seats from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards.
Lawson was promoted from the Racing Bulls team, where he was team-mates with Tsunoda, to the second Red Bull seat at the beginning of 2025.
Tsunoda stayed with the Red Bull 'junior' team and, despite only picking up three points from the first two weekends, would have had a comfortably higher tally had it not been for strategy errors.
Lawson, meanwhile, hasn't picked up a point for his new team and could only finish 12th in the Chinese Grand Prix this Sunday.
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Shortly after the race, Autosport reported that Red Bull were already considering whether to swap the two drivers before the third Grand Prix of the season in Japan.
Planet F1's Thomas Maher has since claimed that the team have not come to a decision yet, but that a driver switch hasn't been ruled out.
Tsunoda was asked on Saturday about whether he could drive the car from Japan onwards, to which he replied: "In Japan? Yeah, 100 per cent. I mean, the car is faster."
When those comments were relayed to Lawson, the Kiwi told Sky Sports F1 that the Japanese driver can 'say whatever he wants', stating: "I've raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him. And I did in F1 as well." Tsunoda (eight) scored more points in F1 than Lawson (six) across two separate seasons while the pair were team-mates.
Back at the Hungarian Grand Prix last season - before Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races of the 2024 campaign - Tsunoda said of Lawson in an interview with Sky Sports: "If they choose Liam [for the Red Bull seat], that would be weird. But I mean, for me at least... I don't think so.
"For sure, Liam did a really good job when he drove for the team, but I think I did more than that. We'll see how it goes."
And earlier this month, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, the Japanese driver spoke of the pair's relationship in a pre-race media conference.
He explained: "I wouldn't say happy for him [getting the seat, given he also wanted it]. That's kind of a lie. He [has] done definitely what he should do, and he fave his best.
"He gave definitely a 100 per cent performance and, also, I gave 100 per cent. It was in the end up to Red Bull how they are going to do it.
"We're still friends for sure, and we still chat with each other. I like to talk him. And yes, since 2020, before that actually, we had a lot of time that we are team-mates, driving in the same categories."
