How Tsunoda compares to Verstappen versus Lawson in 2025

After Red Bull bought out Sergio Perez's contract, Liam Lawson was allowed to debut for the Austrian outfit in Australia. Max Verstappen qualified P3 with a 1:15.481 in Q3. Lawson was out in Q1, qualifying eighteenth with a 1:17.094.

Verstappen finished second at the Australian Grand Prix, less than one second behind Lando Norris. Lawson made a mistake, causing him to crash into the wall. The New Zealander could not finish the race.

The Chinese Grand Prix was tougher for Verstappen. The Dutchman qualified P4 with a 1:30.817 in Q3. Lawson was out again in Q1, qualifying last with a disappointing 1:32.174.

During the race, Verstappen maintained his position and eventually finished fourth. Lawson managed to overtake several drivers and finished P12, but the New Zealander again earned no points.

This led Red Bull to make a drastic decision, and Lawson had to move back to Racing Bulls after two Grands Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda promoted up to Red Bull after missing out at the end of the 2024 season.

Tsunoda made his debut for the Austrian team at his home race, the Japanese Grand Prix, in front of thousands of his home fans. Verstappen spectacularly achieved pole position with a time of 1:26.983. Tsunoda ensured that for the first time this year, Red Bull had two cars in Q2. The Japanese driver, however, was stranded there with a 1:28.000 that could only get him to P15.

During the race, Verstappen was able to convert his pole position into a victory. Overtaking proved difficult at the Suzuka circuit. However, Tsunoda managed to overtake a number of cars and finish P12, just outside the points.

Bahrain proved to be an incredibly difficult weekend for the Austrian outfit. Verstappen qualified P7 with a 1:30.423. Tsunoda made it to Q3 for the first time. The Japanese finished P10 with a 1:31.303. Still almost one second behind Verstappen.

The race was also difficult for both Red Bull drivers. Verstappen eventually gained one place and finished P6. Tsunoda scored his first points in the main team by finishing P9.

In Saudi Arabia, Verstappen again achieved pole position. His fastest time was 1:27.294. Tsunoda again made it to Q3 and qualified P8. His time was a 1:28.204. Almost one second behind the Dutchman again.

During the race, Verstappen ended up finishing P2, largely due to his five-second time penalty. Tsunoda was involved in an incident with Pierre Gasly on the first lap. This resulted in a DNF for the Japanese.

From these statistics, it can be concluded that Tsunoda is much closer to Verstappen than Lawson was in the first two Grands Prix. However, it's clear that the gap between Tsunoda and Verstappen is still very large. The Japanese driver is aware of this gap and is doing everything he can to get closer to the Dutchman.