The signs were there early that Liam Lawson was perhaps not mature enough to handle the job as Red Bull Racing teammate to four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen.

Barely three months ago, Yuki Tsunoda’s window to drive for Red Bull Racing in Formula One appeared to have closed. Despite putting forward a strong case through the 2024 season for its sister team, RB, Red Bull passed over Tsunoda when replacing Sergio Pérez. Instead, it promoted Tsunoda’s teammate Liam Lawson into the seat.

Yuki Tsunoda has admitted his comments that the Red Bull F1 car suits his driving style was “a bit of a sales pitch” at last year’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Yet he insisted that the RB21 was not particularly “tricky” when he tried the car in Red Bull’s simulator despite Liam Lawson’s woes at the start of the F1 2025 season.