Why Red Bull replaced Lawson with Tsunoda, How floor change affected Antonelli in China, and other big updates

Why Red Bull replaced Lawson with Tsunoda

Red Bull has swapped Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix after Lawson struggled in his two races with the team. Despite Lawson’s early promotion, his poor performance with the RB21, no points, and multiple Q1 exits led Red Bull to favor Tsunoda’s experience for the team's championship goals. Red Bull acknowledges a "duty of care" to Lawson, sending him back to Racing Bulls for further development. While Lawson’s potential remains, the team believes Tsunoda is a better fit for their immediate goals.

Click here to read the full article by Dan Lawrence (motorsportweek.com)

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How floor change affected Antonelli in China

Andrea Kimi Antonelli's speed in the Chinese Grand Prix was badly affected by floor damage after he went over debris from a crash between the Ferrari drivers. The damage, which happened on lap one, caused a loss of downforce, especially at the back of the car, making his tires struggle and his performance change a lot during the race. As a result, Antonelli's lap times were much slower than his teammate George Russell's, and he couldn’t compete for a higher position. Although Antonelli finished eighth and moved up to sixth after Ferrari's disqualification, Mercedes believes the damage stopped him from being able to fight for fourth place.

Click here to read the full article by Keith Collantine (racefans.net)

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What’s next for F1’s engines?

Bernie Ecclestone suggested to the F1 Commission that F1 should return to V10 engines. FIA President Ben Sulayem has since backed this idea, despite F1’s plans for 2026 to introduce hybrid V6 engines and sustainable fuels. The V10 engines, which were last used in 2005, have become popular among fans for their loud sound, but manufacturers argue that the switch would be costly, unsustainable, and counterproductive to F1's environmental goals. V10 engines, which were last used in 2005, have become popular among fans for their loud sound. However, manufacturers argue that bringing them back would be costly, unsustainable, and counterproductive to F1's environmental goals.

Click here to read the full article by Andrew Benson (bbc.com)

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Bottas makes McLaren test debut in Barcelona

Valtteri Bottas is driving a McLaren F1 car today in Barcelona as part of his role as a Mercedes reserve driver, which also means he is available for McLaren and Williams. Bottas has agreed to be at all 24 races this season to increase his chances of getting a chance to race. The test in the McLaren car helps him get used to the team and its controls if he needs to step in later. Although Bottas may drive a Mercedes car this year, there are no plans for him to race for Williams, the team he drove for from 2012 to 2016.

Click here to read the full article (adamcooperf1.com)

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Red Bull’s most notorious mid-season driver swaps

Red Bull has often changed drivers in the middle of the season because they own both Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri). In 2005, they switched between drivers Vitantonio Liuzzi and Christian Klien, with Klien racing the most. In 2007, they replaced Scott Speed with Sebastian Vettel, and in 2016, they swapped Daniil Kvyat for Max Verstappen, who quickly won a race. More recently, in 2019, they replaced Pierre Gasly with Alex Albon, and in 2024, Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by Liam Lawson after struggling.

Click here to read the full article by Thomas Maher (planetf1.com)