Red Bull set to swap Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda, according to reports

LONDON – Speculation about Liam Lawson’s Red Bull future picked up speed on March 25, with reports suggesting the Formula One team had decided to replace the New Zealander with Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Dutch newspapers De Telegraaf and De Limburger reported that Honda-backed Tsunoda would swop seats with Lawson as Max Verstappen’s teammate from next week’s Japanese Grand Prix after a Red Bull meeting in Dubai.

They added that an official announcement was expected later in the week.

The New Zealand Herald daily said Lawson’s representatives were “unaware if what’s been reported has been finalised by Red Bull”.

There was no immediate comment from Red Bull, but team principal Christian Horner did not exactly give Lawson a vote of confidence after the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend.

“I think Liam’s had a tough couple of races, a tough weekend here. We’ll have a good look at it,” said Horner, who was more upbeat when asked about Tsunoda.

“Yuki is an experienced driver now doing a great job.”

Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s feeder team, to replace Mexican Sergio Perez alongside four-time world champion Verstappen this season but has struggled in his first two race weekends in Australia and China.

The 23-year-old Kiwi was at Racing Bulls with Tsunoda for six races last season, after being drafted in as the replacement for Australian Daniel Ricciardo, and was then preferred for the Red Bull seat.

While Verstappen is second in the standings, eight points behind McLaren’s Lando Norris after a second and fourth place as well as a sprint third in China, Lawson has yet to score a point.

Tsunoda, meanwhile, has made a strong start and scored three points when he finished sixth in the Shanghai sprint.

Horner added that the team would support Lawson as best they could, but gave nothing away regarding the driver’s future.

Red Bull have a history of swopping out Verstappen’s teammates, with the Dutch driver the clear No. 1 at the British-based team, who lost the constructors’ title to McLaren last season.

Verstappen has acknowledged the current car is difficult to drive, with Lawson also saying in Shanghai that he was struggling to get performance out of it.

In other news, Fernando Alonso acknowledged that he has been dealing with an injury after failing to finish his second consecutive race to begin the season.

The 43-year-old Spaniard has yet to score a point for Aston Martin and was forced to retire four laps into the Chinese Grand Prix. He revealed afterwards that he has been coping with a neck injury.

“I was wearing some neck protection because I’ve had a pinched nerve or something these past few days,” he told Spanish media, per the Mirror. “But in the end, it didn’t help much because I didn’t do many laps.”

The two-time world champion has not won a race since 2013 and is still seeking an elusive 33rd career F1 victory. REUTERS, AFP