Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson ‘both out’ as new Racing Bulls ‘option’ proposed
Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson: Red Bull Racing's lost souls
Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson could both be dropped by Red Bull at the end of the F1 2025 season despite their improved performances at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
That is the claim of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, who reckons the pair could be moved on in favour of an Arvid Lindblad and Alex Dunne pairing at junior squad Racing Bulls.
Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson to miss out on Red Bull F1 2026 reprieve?
Lawson and Tsunoda, who swapped seats after the second race of the F1 2025 campaign in China, both produced their strongest performances of the season in Baku last weekend.
After starting an impressive third, Lawson claimed a career-best fifth place on race day, holding off a queue of cars including Tsunoda, Lando Norris and the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Despite being unable to find a way past Lawson even with DRS assistance and medium tyres 18 laps fresher than Lawson’s hards, Tsunoda still recorded the best result of his Red Bull career with sixth place.
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It is widely believed that Lawson’s teammate Isack Hadjar will be promoted to Red Bull senior team as Max Verstappen’s teammate for F1 2026, with F2 star Arvid Lindblad expected to replace Hadjar at Racing Bulls.
If so, that would leave one seat available alongside Lindblad at Racing Bulls for next season, with Tsunoda and Lawson both in contention to earn a reprieve.
PlanetF1.com revealed earlier this month that Dunne, the McLaren junior driver currently competing in F2, has attracted the interest of Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko.
Marko is understood to have held face-to-face meetings with Dunne and his representatives, although it’s thought these discussions have primarily been for establishing initial contact rather than being with an eye to a 2026 agreement.
With current race drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris under long-term contracts with the team, McLaren showed an inclination in 2024 to allow its junior drivers to take up opportunities elsewhere.
Former McLaren junior Gabriel Bortoleto was freed from his McLaren commitments at the end of last year to take up an F1 race seat with Sauber for the F1 2025 season.
Appearing on the Backstage Pit Lane podcast, Schumacher claimed that Lawson and Tsunoda remain at risk despite their improved showings in Baku.
And he argued that it is “certainly possible” that Dunne could partner Lindblad at Racing Bulls for the F1 2026 season.
Schumacher said: “Before Baku, I would have said that both Tsunoda and Lawson were out for next season.
“If you want to give young drivers a chance, it will still be very difficult for both of them, because Hadjar could go to Red Bull and you could possibly get Alex Dunne from McLaren and also promote Arvid Lindblad to the Racing Bulls.
“That would certainly be an option. But the Racing Bulls’ expectations have also risen thanks to their good results.
“It would then be unfair if they didn’t keep any drivers with F1 experience.”
More on Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson from PlanetF1.com
Schumacher believes Hadjar is the clear favourite to partner Verstappen for the F1 2026 season as things stand.
However, he reckons that the arrival of Laurent Mekies, who replaced Christian Horner as Red Bull team principal and chief executive in July, has increased Tsunoda’s hopes of being retained regardless of the team’s imminent split with current engine partner Honda.
He added: “Tsunoda can drive and was also doing well in the Racing Bull before.
“The sharp handling of the Red Bull didn’t suit him. At times, Verstappen also struggled with it.
“Both were doing well in Baku. Nevertheless, there was a gap of over 30 seconds between them at the finish line. That’s a world of difference.
“But Tsunoda was already where Sergio Perez was when he was performing even better.
“At the moment, I would bet on Isack Hadjar [to secure a Red Bull seat for 2026].
“But if the team thinks that Tsunoda is also a viable option and Tsunoda is getting closer to the car and vice versa, then that’s an option.
“Laurent Mekies is doing a very good job with his human touch and he knows Tsunoda very well.
“You can see with the Racing Bulls what happens with Liam Lawson when you give him a little more time and the car becomes easier to drive.”
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