'Almost lapped' Yuki Tsunoda’s hopes collapse in Liam Lawson clash

Yuki Tsunoda’s chances of staying in the Red Bull family beyond 2025 have taken another blow, after a miserable Monza weekend capped by a crash with stablemate Liam Lawson.

The Japanese driver pointed out that Max Verstappen’s dominant win was aided by having Red Bull’s only updated floor. Even so, former F1 driver Timo Glock was unimpressed.

“His teammate almost lapped him,” Glock told Sky Deutschland. “With this car, he simply had to score points and didn’t. "Red Bull has no reason at all to keep him.”

While Lawson has looked more solid since being demoted by Red Bull Racing early in 2025, less experienced Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has emerged as the standout - even bagging a maiden podium.

By contrast, Lawson’s season has been marked by combative driving and criticism from rivals including Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.

The latest incident came at Monza, where he tangled with Tsunoda. Watching the replay in the cool-down room, Lando Norris muttered under his breath: “What was he doing?”

Lawson admits his own future no longer includes thoughts of a Red Bull Racing return. “Honestly, it’s about securing a seat in Formula 1 for 2026,” he said recently.

For Dr Helmut Marko, however, Sunday’s intra-team collision was the final straw. “The collision with Lawson from our own team was incredibly stupid,” the 82-year-old fumed.

“That seems to have caused even more damage to the car.” Red Bull is expected to delay final decisions on its 2026 lineup until October, but Glock thinks Tsunoda’s fate is effectively sealed.

“Where’s the risk?” he asked. “You could put someone else in the car, but the real question is, which driver would actually want it?”