Lawson, Tsaroda or even Colapinto? Red bull now has difficult decisions

Together second red bull seat Max Verustapane Long is considered one of the most difficult roles in Formula 1. Nevertheless, speculation about a driver change after only two races is at its peak, even by red bull standards.

Liam Lawson Started his full -time red bull campaign with optimism, but so far admits that he is struggling more than expected. The New Zealand driver finished 18th, 20th and 20th in his three qualifying appearances – placed him on the grid twice in a row, some red bull driver did not experience the first. The results of their race-DNF, 14th and 12th-do not look better, with 12th place in China as well as three post-respements have been extended by disqualification.

Next to the Chinese Grand Prix, Padock sources suggested a driver change before Japan did not get out of the question. Horner either did not dismiss that possibility after the race, saying that the team will review all the data: “We have data from the first two races and we will look carefully on it. We have 400 engineers in the team and 600 sensors on the car, so we have a large amount of information to go.”

Asked if Lawson’s seat is guaranteed for Suzuka, Horner reiterated that the team had “responsibility” towards him, but avoided giving a direct reply. “We are in two races and we have ended this race. I think we remove the information we have.”

While one can argue that Lawson should be judged on the tracks that he knows like Bahrain and Suzuka, Horner reduced the importance of the aspect: “I think these people get up to speed up very quickly. We will take away a pile of data to go and take a look.”

If data suggests that Lawson is unlikely to improve short -term, the red bull may feel the need to function well. “I think Liam has still got the ability. We are not feeling this at the moment. I think the problem for him is that he has a really difficult weekend. He has got all the media on his back and the natural pressure increases in this business. I am very sorry for him. You are very difficult on him at this time.” Internal, the main dilemma of the Red Bull is balanced with the human side – and whether it is appropriate to change after giving Lawson a chance for just two races.

Tsunoda in headlines – but a big risk propagation before Japan?

If the red bull switchs, Yuki Sunoda There is a clear candidate to take steps. The Japanese driver was not promoted in winter, but Helmut Marco offered significant praise in China, which means that his opinion on the goldsmith has changed.

“Yuki is in the shape of his life,” said Austrian. “He is now a different wake up compared to recent years. He replaced the management, he has a different view and he is more mature. It took a little time for him, but now it starts working.”

It underlines that Sunanoda is being taken more seriously by Red Bull than before. His red bull test in Abu Dhabi is part of the current assessment, along with the data of the previous race weekend Racing bulls“He did very well with us in that test,” Horner said. “This is useful data for us, but we always look at the big picture.”

Asked if Tsunoda was in the first line, the Boss of the Red Bull Team replied: “I am not going to comment on a change, because it will be your first title! We have a lot of information. We are going to go away and we are going to take a good look at it, and we can do the best work to work with Liam.”

Playing a role in any decision on Lawson with personal aspects, the same applies to Tsunoda. Keeping it in tricky RB21 before the race of his home in Suzuka is a big risk for all parties, if he struggles like Lawson. Tsunoda has so far affected, but as Verstappen has mentioned, the racing bulls car is completely different from the red bull: “When I talk to Liam, the racing bulls car is definitely easier to drive compared to our car.”

Is Red Bull’s car the real issue?

Ultimately, the root of the problem cannot be the driver, but the car itself. The second red bull seat is challenging for several reasons.

First of all, Vastapane’s sheer speed is difficult to match the same machinery and makes any team-met job difficult. Once the drivers start experimenting with the extreme set-up to match it, things usually get worse.

Secondly, RB21 somewhat corresponds to the driving style of Vastapane, as the sources within the team confirm. The car has a very sharp front end and a loose rear, a combination that many drivers have found impossible to master.

Alex albon The red bull car was described as sensitivity at 100%as “A (Computer) mouse” – extremely reactive and therefore it is equally difficult for anyone to handle with a different driving style. since Daniel ReciardoDeparture in 2018, any of their successors – Galley, Albon, Sergio Perez And now Lawson – are capable of handling the seating task next to Vestapen. From outside, it is very few reason to believe that the Sinoda main team will have different fare.

From a technical point of view, there is an argument to create a car with extreme characteristics that suits the Westopen better than others. Dutchman has distributed with four world titles and is the only chance of Red Bull that competes on the front.

In 2025, things became even more difficult for any driver next to him. The dominance of the Red Bull has been lost since 2022 and 2023, which means that the team needs to push the boundaries even more to be competitive.

Add the fact that the current F1 area is extremely competitive, meaning that the second red bull can be knocked out of Q1 with a deficit which was enough to secure a place on the front line a few years ago.

A surprising candidate in Colapinto Racing Bulls?

The second major question for the Red Bull is what to do with Lawson and the seat of the second racing bulls, if they decide to move forward with the driver change. The most direct solution will be to swap Lawson and Tsaroda, allowing Lawson to reset in the sister team.

“Liam is a young man. We have got a duty to take care of him. And we are going to support the best that we can support him. He is still a very competent driver. We know that we are not looking at it for any reason. We are not able to give it at this time,” Hornor said.

It leaves the place for interpretation. Protecting Lawson can mean three different things: keeping him in red bulls for some more race, he got a relaxed car comfort in racing bulls, or temporarily benches him as a red bull reserve driver.

Given the final option will be particularly rigid Franco Colapinto Bull to run. Motorsport.com Spain sources suggest that the deal is already close. Was seen in Helmut Marco AlpineHospitality in Shanghai on Sunday – and it was not to taste French coffee.

How seriously the Colapinto option can be seen for now, as it becomes clear that this story is partially pushed by Argentina’s camp; It is connected to Jack dohan In alpine.

Australians started a particularly hard start in Abu Dhabi, but have shown more speed during the first race weekend of 2025. Dohan is currently having a better impact in alpine than before, perhaps better than expected. He made a miscreant in Melbourne, but managed to match the pace of Pierre Galli in China and was close to French in qualifying. Dohan was only tenth place on Saturday and was ahead of Galli in Sprint qualifying.

If an opportunity of alpine takes longer than the idea, it is normal that the management of Colapinto is looking at all the places where an opportunity can present itself. In the world of F1, where everyone is talking to everyone, it is equally rational for the market detection and assessing all available options for the Red Bull. Colapinto (temporarily) racing bulls is just one of those options.

Neither the red bull seat nor the racing bulls status next to Vastapane is yet fixed, and it includes various interests and parties, it is now very complicated to predict.

But one thing is clear: The next few weeks Milton is important for the Keins-based team. The Verstappen will visit the Red Bull Factory this week to discuss the weaknesses of RB21 and to improve your championship hunt. At the same time, the team needed to decide on the driver’s front compared to anticipated. These season-defaulting weeks are already there, at least if the red bull does not want to fall back in both the championships.

Photos from Chinese GP – Race