Yuki Tsunoda delivers “weird” verdict on Liam Lawson to Red Bull speculation

Yuki Tsunoda thinks it would be “weird” if he was overlooked by Red Bull should they look to replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson.

Speculation has been intense about Red Bull potentially booting Perez out during the summer break amid his disastrous form since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Perez’s poor run of results has meant that Red Bull are vulnerable in the F1 constructors’ championship, particularly given McLaren’s resurgence. 

According to various reports, Red Bull are considering replacing Perez with Lawson, who completed a test for the team last week, while Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo are in the frame.

Tsunoda has out-performed Ricciardo throughout 2024 but it appears Red Bull aren’t sold on giving the Japanese driver an opportunity alongside Max Verstappen.

Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Crash.net are in the paddock, Tsunoda addressed the speculation surrounding the second Red Bull seat.

“Yes [I do deserve the seat next to Max],” he said.

“If I’m not ready then I wouldn’t have been able to announce the next season even at VCARB.

“I’m feeling ready compared to last three years to fight against the top teams, higher positions and even with Max. In the end, they are the ones that are going to decide and it's one of the things I can’t control.

“I’m just focusing on what I have to do in the next two races, Haas is getting really close, so I have to stay focused with our team. Let’s see how it goes. Just same as previous races, focused on what I have to do with my performance.”

Tsunoda was asked about the prospect of Lawson getting the call-up to Red Bull over him.

The current RB driver described that scenario as “weird” as Tsunoda feels he’s proven himself more than Lawson has.

“If they choose Liam, that would be weird,” Tsunoda added.  “Liam did a really good job when he drove in the sim, but I think I did more than that.

“So, we'll see how it goes. In the end they know how to manage the drivers."

Tsunoda also confirmed that no “serious conversation” with Christian Horner or Helmut Marko has taken place yet.

“Not like clear [discussions],” he explained. “Casual chatting like in the hospitality. I guess they're not really rushing it. Checo was announced a few races before. Checo had performed really well and if the driver is performing well, they don't have reason to change drivers.

“In the end, what they did was a good thing for Checo, because they didn't want to create any pressure and that's definitely fair.

“For myself, they wanted me to drive and focus on what I'm doing right now, so we didn't have a serious conversation yet.”