Schumacher believes Tsunoda should turn down Lawson's race seat.

      "It’s total chaos at Red Bull."

      There are rampant rumors suggesting that Liam Lawson has completed his second and final race weekend with Red Bull. Former F1 driver and current TV pundit Ralf Schumacher informed Sky Deutschland, "Liam Lawson will not participate in the next race. (Yuki) Tsunoda will step in. It hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but that's likely the case. Lawson will return to Racing Bulls to regroup."

      After a disappointing performance in Shanghai, where Lawson was effectively the slowest driver, Tsunoda stated in China that he is "100 percent" ready to take over for the New Zealander and expressed his confidence in being "faster."

      A dejected Lawson, 23, responded at the conclusion of his difficult Chinese GP weekend, saying, "He can say whatever he wants. I’ve raced him for years, I've beaten him in junior categories, and I've done it in F1."

      There are also speculations that Franco Colapinto might replace Tsunoda at Racing Bulls starting from Suzuka, but veteran Swiss journalist Roger Benoit is skeptical. He believes that Alpine is likely preparing to place the highly-regarded young Argentine rookie in Jack Doohan's seat, remarking, "For Doohan, one flop and mistake follows another," in Blick newspaper.

      Regarding Red Bull, team management is set to meet this week—reportedly on Thursday—to address the issues with the troublesome RB21 car and the situation with Lawson. Advisor Dr. Helmut Marko told Servus TV, "There’s a meeting in Milton-Keynes this week where we’ll discuss when and how we can bridge this gap. We’re concerned, but we’re not giving up."

      Team boss Christian Horner has admitted that the 2025 Red Bull is particularly challenging to drive, suggesting that any replacement for Lawson might face similar difficulties. Schumacher has been highly critical of the energy drink-owned team, stating, "It’s pure chaos at Red Bull. Not only is the main team too slow, but they’re also shuffling drivers as if it's a joke. I must say, it's unbelievable. From a management standpoint, this is just terribly executed. They’re undermining the solid Racing Bulls team, which is finally performing well with both drivers, and in my opinion, they’re just going to wear out Tsunoda, who won’t stand a chance against Max (Verstappen)."

      Schumacher further stated, "No matter who you place in that second car, they’ll be sent home within a few races. Therefore, I would recommend keeping Lawson in the car and focusing on improving the car's competitiveness. If I were Tsunoda’s manager, I certainly wouldn’t advise him to take that route."