Yuki Tsunoda has had a strong start to the season with Racing Bulls and showed impressive speed in China. He finished sixth in the Sprint race and qualified ninth for the main Grand Prix. On the other hand, Liam Lawson, who replaced Sergio Perez at Red Bull, struggled all weekend. He was the slowest in both qualifying sessions and ended the main race in 12th place, even after other drivers were disqualified.

In the Sprint qualifying, Tsunoda was 0.413 seconds faster than Lawson. In the main qualifying, he was nearly a full second quicker. When asked about a possible switch to Red Bull, Tsunoda made it clear he is ready. “Yeah, why not?” he said, quoted by RacingNews365. When asked if he would like to race in the Red Bull car in Japan, he replied, “Japan? Yeah, 100%. The car is faster, I’m sure.”

Lawson was not happy with those comments. Speaking after a tough race in Shanghai, he reminded everyone of his past record. “I’ve raced him for years, raced him in junior categories and beat him – and I did in F1 as well,” he said. “So he can say whatever he wants.”

At the same time, he admitted the last few races have been difficult. His return to F1 has so far brought no points, and Red Bull now sits 42 points behind McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship. “I don’t really have time to get used to it,” he said. “But I’m also not stupid. I know I’m here to perform – and if I’m not doing that, I’m not going to be around.”

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said Lawson’s set-up changes in China gave them “valuable data,” but Helmut Marko was more direct. “He’s right. It was disappointing,” Marko said. “We have to go through and analyse everything. It’s all depending on performance – and he didn’t deliver.”

While Lawson is struggling, Tsunoda is showing some of the best form of his career. He was originally passed over for the Red Bull seat, with the team saying they were unsure if he had the mental strength to race alongside Verstappen. But now, his steady performances are changing opinions.

“Yuki is a different Yuki from the years before,” Marko told Autosport. “He is in the form of his life. He has changed his management, and he’s more mature. It took a while, but now it looks like it’s working.”

Now the pressure is on Lawson to improve quickly, or Tsunoda may get the chance he has been waiting for.