Red Bull reportedly decided to axe Liam Lawson ahead of the F1 Japan Grand Prix.
According to De Telegraaf, Tsunoda will be placed in Red Bull’s second seat for the next race, with Lawson being demoted to sister team Racing Bull.
After the F1 China Grand Prix over the weekend, rumors have been ramped up that Lawson’s era at Red Bull could end abruptly after a bad start to the season.
Now, after just two races as a teammate for Max Verstappen, the infamous, ruthless team reportedly decided to make another change.
At Tuesday’s meeting in Dubai, the meeting, where Red Bull’s main shareholder, Sharerum Yuvidya, lives, reportedly has sealed Lawson’s fate.
read more: Liam Lawson’s 2025 struggle reveals long-term issues at Red Bull
Honda, Red Bull’s engine supplier, has helped promote the Hornada.
Red Bull has not made any official comments on this report on Lawson’s axis.
Tsunoda is reportedly making his main team debut in Japan’s home races with full support from Japan’s Giants Honda.
A second crunch meeting is planned for Thursday, the report alleges at Milton Keynes, where Red Bull is based.
Verstappen will be present for a discussion about how struggling teams can bridge the gap with McLaren.
Have you set Red Bull to Axe Liam Lawson?
Lawson was awarded a promotion to Red Bull at the end of 2024 after 11 impressive outings for his sister team.
Sergio Perez’s four-year stint ended early and he was rewarded after a poor season where he couldn’t score points. They partly granted McLaren the Constructors Championship as Perez couldn’t give enough points.
Lawson was chosen prior to his then-instructor, Tsunoda, for promotion.
However, Lawson is struggling more than expected in the first two rounds of 2025.
He failed to move forward beyond the first quarter in either Australia or China.
Red Bull is already 40 points behind constructor McLaren, and Verstappen is tracking driver Lando Norris.
McLaren’s two drivers, Norris and Oscar Piastri, have already won the Grand Prix, in stark contrast to Red Bull’s predicament.
But McLaren has the fastest cars, but even the mighty Verstappen finds it difficult to drive his RB21.
Lawson, who was also unable to tame Red Bull in 2025, now appears to be the latest driver to be dumped by his team.
Tsunoda will get his chance, according to a report on Tuesday night, which begins a week and a half at the Japanese Grand Prix.