Yuki Tsunoda takes over at Red Bull: Departure after a weak start of the season!
Yuki Tsunoda takes over at Red Bull: Departure after a weak start of the season!
In a surprising turn of events, Red Bull Racing plans to hire Yuki Tsunoda as a new driver to replace Liam Lawson. This decision follows a disappointing start to the season in the Formula 1 World Championship, which made everyone involved list. Lawson, who was promoted to the main team before the season, did not score any points in the first two races. Tsunoda is expected to start on April 6th at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka next to Max Verstappen. An official confirmation of the driver change will be expected in the coming days, such as Lawson, who replaced Sergio Perez after the end of his contract, could not convince in Australia and China. The Australian had to make do with a failure and a last place in qualifying in China in these races. In contrast, Tsunoda, who has already collected three World Cup points, showed a solid sixth place at the sprint in Shanghai.
Important support from Honda
Interestingly, Tsunoda is accompanied not only by his talent, but also by the support of Honda, his long -time sponsor and Red Bull's supplier. Honda has promoted its way into Formula 1 in Formula 4 since Tsunodas, and the partnership will be particularly important this year, since the Japanese Grand Prix will be the last event at which Honda is part of Red Bull before moving to Aston Martin in 2024.The management of Red Bull is already considering an exchange between Tsunoda and Lawson, and the talks about Tsunoda's possible debut at the Japanese Grand Prix. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner emphasized the efforts to support Lawson as best as possible, did not confirm whether Lawson will compete in Suzuka.
decision in Dubai
The decision to change the driver was made during a meeting in Dubai, where Chalerme Yoovidhya, the main owner of Red Bull, is based. Reports about the change have been confirmed from various media sources such as "De Telegraaf". With his experience of five seasons and Lawsons, Tsunoda will compete in a direct competition. While Tsunoda was able to score in the current season, Lawson is almost a second behind Verstappen in the qualifications.
The driver change comes at a critical time for Red Bull, since a crisis meeting will take place in Milton Keynes on Thursday to discuss the performance of the car. This session is considered crucial to clarify the future strategy of the team and prepare the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.
Overall, Red Bull Racing faces a crucial phase that affects both the internal team structure and performance on the route. The coming days will show how this change will affect the team's dynamics.
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| Ort | Suzuka, Japan |
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