Yuki Tsunoda will race for Red Bull from the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix onwards, with Liam Lawson returning to Racing Bulls after a tough start to 2025.

Lawson was promoted to the senior team having contested the final six races of last year for Racing Bulls as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement. The Kiwi racer was preferred as Sergio Perez’s replacement despite Tsunoda having completed four seasons with the squad.

Having qualified 18th in the season-opener Australia, Lawson was plum last in Shanghai qualifying for both the sprint race and the grand prix.

He has started both of his grands prix for Red Bull to date from pitlane, with the 23-year-old rookie crashing out in tricky conditions in Melbourne and finishing 12th in China, benefitting from other cars having issues as well as a trio of disqualifications further up the field.

Immediately after the race, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was bombarded with questions over whether Tsunoda was being lined up to replace Lawson from his home grand prix at Suzuka. At the time, Horner said Red Bull would look into the data gathered from Lawson’s car and analyse his performance. Now the decision has been taken to bring in Tsunoda.

Motorsport.com understands a key part of the early call was to tap into Tsunoda’s greater experience to help develop the RB21 alongside reigning world champion Max Verstappen and that it was a group decision rather than being Horner’s individual choice.