Yuki Tsunoda Returns to Red Bull for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
In a move that caught the paddock off guard, Red Bull Racing has reinstated Yuki Tsunoda as a full race driver, seeking to sharpen its competitive edge and sustain its championship challenge through the 2025 season.
The Japanese Grand Prix is nearly upon us, and Red Bull Racing arrives with a significant card to play. The team has confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will take the wheel of its second car from this third round of the season — a decision that has intrigued fans and analysts in equal measure.
Team Principal Christian Horner was direct in his assessment: “We have seen Liam struggle with the RB21 and, as a result, we collectively made the decision to make an early change.” Since Lawson’s arrival last December — following the high-profile departure of Checo Pérez — expectations had run high.
For his part, Yuki Tsunoda, who has been part of the Red Bull program since the 2021 season, now steps into a leading role once more. His career to date has been defined by consistency rather than outright brilliance — a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix among its highlights — yet the Japanese driver’s accumulated experience may prove precisely what the team requires. Having closed last season twelfth in the Drivers’ Championship, the outfit believes Tsunoda can deliver the measure of stability the RB21 so urgently needs.
Meanwhile, Lawson returns to the junior outfit Racing Bulls, where he will face the pressure of proving his worth. Far from a demotion into obscurity, this reassignment presents a genuine opportunity to develop and mature in a career that spans just thirteen Grands Prix thus far.
The Japanese Grand Prix, scheduled for April 4–6 at the iconic Suzuka Circuit, will be the stage on which these compelling dynamics play out. Can Tsunoda unlock the true potential of the RB21? The eyes of the motorsport world will be fixed on Suzuka — waiting to see whether this calculated change of driver is enough to return Red Bull to the podium.
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