With the 2024 Formula 1 season just concluded, Red Bull stirred up the excitement. In recent days, the Austrian team finalized its lineup for 2025: racing alongside Max Verstappen next year will be Liam Lawson. The New Zealander leapfrogs Yuki Tsunoda, a decision that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Honda.
The collaboration between Honda and Red Bull began in 2019 when Red Bull switched from Renault power units to those supplied by the Japanese company. The partnership reached its peak in 2021 with Max Verstappen’s Drivers’ Championship victory.
Another significant milestone was the entry of Yuki Tsunoda into F1, a Japanese driver backed by Honda. Yuki Tsunoda began his Formula 1 career in 2021, partnering with Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s junior team.
Yuki Tsunoda never truly excelled but delivered decent performances, particularly in the last two seasons, where he outperformed both Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo. In 2023, Tsunoda also briefly faced competition from Liam Lawson, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo after the latter was sidelined by Red Bull.
Despite Tsunoda’s efforts to secure a seat with the main team, it wasn’t enough. With Sergio Perez struggling on track and delivering subpar results this year, Red Bull had no choice but to let him go. However, instead of promoting Honda’s protégé, the team chose Lawson, who has only 11 F1 races under his belt.
While Red Bull’s decision might be influenced by the fact that their partnership with Honda officially ended in 2021—and Honda will begin supplying engines to Aston Martin in 2026—discontent appears to linger within the Japanese company. This sentiment was seemingly reflected in a social media post shared a few days ago as a farewell to Sergio Perez.
In the post, the original photo featuring a Honda representative alongside Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen, and Christian Horner was altered, with Horner cropped out. Was this a gesture to highlight Perez or a subtle jab at Red Bull’s decision not to promote Honda’s favored driver?
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