It's all but official—Liam Lawson will reportedly not climb back into the 2025 Red Bull Racing car, according to fresh updates.
Dutch publications De Limburger and De Telegraaf state that a meeting in Dubai on Tuesday, attended by 51 percent Red Bull owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, sealed Lawson's fate.
The New Zealander is slated to head back to Racing Bulls, while Yuki Tsunoda steps up to partner Max Verstappen starting at Suzuka. Honda, in its last year tied to Red Bull, is said to have heavily pushed for the Japanese driver.
Doubts linger, however, over whether Tsunoda can outperform Lawson, who languished at the back of the field throughout the Chinese GP weekend.
"It is not possible that whoever comes alongside him (Verstappen) has such enormous difficulties," former F1 team owner Giancarlo Minardi wrote on his website.
"It is probably a very difficult car to drive and manage, having been built entirely around the Dutchman (Verstappen) who has a particular style of driving, putting his teammates in difficulty.
"I find it hard to imagine a different explanation, since the 'cousins' (at Racing Bulls) are faster and better performing than Lawson."
Red Bull brass consistently refute claims that their F1 cars are tailored solely to Verstappen's preferences, though team principal Christian Horner concedes the main team's car boasts a "sharper" front end compared to Racing Bulls'.
"That is the difference," Dutch racer Tom Coronel explained to Viaplay, "because Max has always wanted a car that is very loose at the back.
"That does not give other drivers confidence. If you steer into those fast turns, and you are constantly on the edge, you see that Lawson does not trust the car—and then you can never drive on the limit."
Lawson, 23, is now expected to slot back into Racing Bulls. That's amid Alpine dismissing speculation that Franco Colapinto—currently on loan from Williams—might shift to the Red Bull family.
"The rumours are not true," a team spokesperson told Ole. "Colapinto is an Alpine driver."
