As reported by LWOS in the last 24 hours, Christian Horner has confirmed that Red Bull are no longer pursuing Franco Colapinto. Horner explains that Red Bull will turn to Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson as candidates to partner Max Verstappen.
Colapinto misses out as Red Bull focus on Tsunoda and Lawson
For the majority of the year, Red Bull’s driver line-up has dominated F1 news.
The sensational debut of Franco Colapinto (and Red Bull’s subsequent interest) added another variable to an increasingly unpredictable equation.
Over the last few weeks though, the situation at Milton Keynes has simplified.
Christian Horner’s team are no longer trying to sign Colapinto, with the Argentine’s recent results harming his chances.
Even putting aside the 21-year-old’s incidents, his contractual situation with Williams was always going to complicate negotiations.
This has led Red Bull to shift their priorities and turn to their own driver pool.
Tsunoda and Lawson in a shootout for Red Bull seat
Speaking after the Qatar GP, Horner explained who is being considered for 2025:
“You’re always keeping an eye on what the market is,” racingnews365 quotes him as saying.
“But we have strength and depth in the junior programme. [It] was good to see Isack doing a good job in Formula 2 as well.
“I think there’s what, half a point between the drivers going into the final race in Abu Dhabi.
“Liam and Yuki [were] very closely matched in that race [Qatar] in terms of pace. So we’ve got a full stable of drivers.”
Domino effect to benefit academy drivers
As previously reported by LWOS, Isack Hadjar is one of the big winners from Red Bull’s adjustment.
With Sergio Perez’s days at Milton Keynes seemingly numbered, Hadjar is set to claim the seat either Tsunoda or Lawson will leave vacant.
Speaking of Tsunoda and Lawson, they are in direct competition to join Red Bull.
When Lawson’s return was first announced, it was no secret that he was Christian Horner’s preference as a potential Verstappen replacement.
Generally speaking, Tsunoda’s performances have been overlooked.
Thankfully for the 24-year-old, the situation appears to have changed. Tsunoda has outqualified Lawson at every occasion since his comeback in COTA.
He also finished ahead of the Kiwi in three successive races, no doubt improving his 2025 chances.
Abu Dhabi could be decisive
Although it seems like an eternity ago, it is worth remembering how Sergio Perez secured a Red Bull seat.
For much of 2020, Nico Hulkenberg was the favourite to replace Albon at the Austrian team.
However, Perez’s sensational victory at the Sakhir GP helped tip the scales in his favour.
In a similar fashion, whoever comes out on top between Tsunoda and Lawson in Abu Dhabi could be significant.
If VCARB are competitive enough to fight for points, whichever driver can get in the top 10 will have momentum on their side.
Considering that Red Bull will assess their driver roster immediately after the season finale, the race result on Sunday is critical.
Therefore, with Colapinto out of the picture, the VCARB duo are racing for their careers this weekend.
