"Only a matter of time" before Yuki Tsunoda is replaced at Red Bull

Racing driver and pundit Sam Bird has delivered a crushing blow to Red Bull Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda, claiming that it is only a matter of time before he is replaced.

The Japanese driver replaced rookie Liam Lawson in the seat alongside four-time champion Max Verstappen for his home race at Suzuka, the third round of the 2025 season. While Tsunoda has shown some improvement in recent races, he has not been able to extract the same performance as the Dutchman.

The Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit saw Tsunoda lapped by Verstappen. As his team-mate crossed the line to finish in second, Tsunoda only managed 12th. 

"He got lapped by his team-mate and by the frontrunners. It’s only a matter of time now before he vacates that seat; it’s just a matter of when, not if," Bird said on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast.

Rumours have linked Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar to the coveted Red Bull seat in 2026, with Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad potentially taking a seat at the sister team. This would leave Lawson and Tsunoda fighting for the second Racing Bulls seat.

Bird questioned whether the replacement could come before the end of the season.

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Is it going to happen before the end of this season? Would they give someone like Isack Hadjar a chance and go, ‘Look, you’ve got six races now with the big team,’" he added.

"There’s no pressure, get settled in, learn about your engineer, learn about the way they work, learn about how to cope with the Max Verstappen car that we will build you in the future because we’re not going to build you a car, we’re going to build Max Verstappen a car, and see if you can hang onto it."

With six race weekends remaining, Tsunoda sits 17th in the drivers' standings with 20 points. In comparison, Hadjar sits ninth with 39 points.