Just over a week after the first free practice sessions of the Suzuka Grand Prix Here comes the official announcement: tsunoda will replace Lawson in Red Bull. The news was already in the air after the races held in Melbourne and Shanghai, in which Lawson did not shine as expected; so after only two races from the start of the 2025 season, the exchange between Tsunoda and Lawson takes place, in light of this there will be many changes, but what will change at the Fantasy F1 for Fantasy manager?
Lawson and the replacement
Sooner or later, whoever had Lawson in the team at Fantasy F1, he definitely regretted it, with an average of -2 points “accumulated” over the course of two Grand Prix, the one in Australia and the one in China. Lawson himself states: “I just need time, but I know there isn't any time” . The bitterness in the words of the New Zealand driver who feared, already after the first week, of being ousted from the seat he had earned with such difficulty.
La Red Bull can be very ruthless, it is not the first time that we have seen a second Red Bull driver replaced after a few races without mercy. And with only two races completed, Lawson enters the annals as the driver who has competed the fewest GPs with Red Bull.
The Curse of the Red Bull Second Seat
To be the second of Max Verstappen It's not easy, it never has been for anyone. From Toro Rosso, All 'Alpha tauri, Racing Bulls , anyone who has ever held one of these seats has aspired to arrive at the parent team, Red Bull, and so did Yuki Tsunoda, who was quite stunned by the team's choice to bring Liam Lawson to Red Bull.
We have seen Yuki Tsunoda as a junior driver for Red Bull for four years. For many fans of the game, this is a guarantee, while waiting for his launch within the primary team. The 2024 season was rather dark, for Tsunoda, but also for the team itself, but the start of the 2025 season had an explosive start for the Japanese driver, who on board the RB car ousted Liam Lawson on board the Red Bull in every session, to the point of making all the fans and Fantasy manager what led the Red Bull team to promote Liam rather than Yuki.
Tsunoda – Lawson and Fanta F1: What changes after the swap?
It is not the first time that the Fantamanagers have to face a similar situation, we already remember the events of the previous season, which saw the replacement of Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson. in Racing Bulls.
What will change at Fanta F1 after the Tsunoda-Lawson swap? According to what has been established by Fanta F1 rules: “If a driver (A) is replaced by a driver (B) during the course of the season, driver (B) will inherit the score history and the rating of driver (A). All users who own driver (A) will find driver (B) in the ranks of their team, regardless of whether or not the latter is a driver who has already taken part in the Formula 1 season. This rule also applies to private auction clubs.”
So the driver who replaces another will acquire his rating + the score history of the driver who is replaced. Since in this particular situation we are not just talking about a substitution, but rather a real exchange between two drivers. It will follow that all those who had tsunoda in the team, now they will have Lawson, and vice versa, with prices and accumulated points reversed.
Therefore tsunoda will acquire the share price of Lawson, equal to 19 YAW, as well as its historical results, with -10 points earned in Melbourne and +2 points earned in Shanghai, for an average of -2 points overall. In full response Lawson, will take the previous quotation of Tsunoda, equal to 13 YAW, and its history, which consists of +0.5 points conquered in Melbourne and +10.5 points conquered in Shanghai, for an average of +5.5 points total.
What is expected from Tsunoda at Red Bull?
Given what Tsunoda achieved in RB, it is expected that he will achieve great results in Red Bull with his eyes closed. Or maybe not? It is clear to everyone that Red Bull is groping its way through this year, but Verstappen continues to do very well, obviously. But if the second Red Bull seat continues to go badly even with Yuki Tsunoda on board, the team risks having to admit that the problem is the car, and not the driver. In that case, the team should owe Liam a very sincere apology.
It could therefore be said that the choice to bring Tsunoda to Red Bull from the Suzuka Grand Prix, as well as being “forced” by the fact that the next race will be held at his home, could be an attempt by the team to avert a prophecy. Which risks becoming self-fulfilling. As for the Fantasy F1, many will be eager to deploy tsunoda. And fingers crossed, that he can remedy the slips made by Lawson until now.
