2 weeks Ago By Michelle
Rivals and sometimes team-mates as Red Bull juniors, Liam Lawson has revealed Yuki Tsunoda used to try to intimidate him on the track only to get found out in Macau when he got too close. Although both Lawson and Tsunoda came through Red Bull’s junior ranks and were in Formula 3 together in 2019, it has taken the New Zealander a bit longer to reach Formula 1. While his path included two years in Formula 3 before stepping up to F2, and then some times on the F1 sidelines while also contesting Japan’s Super Formula, Tsunoda spent one year in F3, moved onto F2, and then joined the Formula 1 grid in 2021.
Today they were team-mates at Red Bull’s junior team VCARB , both with the aspirations of stepping up to the senior team. But while Lawson is said to be in contention, PlanetF1.com understands that Tsunoda is not in the running despite his upcoming post-season run in the RB20.
Having been rivals in the junior series they know each others tricks, including one that Lawson revealed to the Red Flag podcast that Tsunoda used to pull in an attempt to intimidate him on the track. “Yuki used to do this thing, the first year that we were team-mates was 2019,” Lawson explained. “In FIA F3 we weren’t team-mates, [but] we did Euroformula Open at the same time, and we were team-mates in that.
I got to know him pretty well. “All year, in a practice session or a qualifying session, whenever I was on a cool-down lap, Yuki would come past me, he would always insist on just getting as close to me as possible. “I don’t know if he was trying to scare me or what.
He did this all year.” And then the tactic caught him out at the 2019 Macau Grand Prix. 👉 F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid? 👉 F1 2026 driver line-up: Lewis Hamilton and other drivers already confirmed for 2026 Racing for MP Motorsport and Hitech Grand Prix respectively, Lawson revealed how Tsunoda pulled the same stunt on at the hallowed street race but came up short.
“We went to Macau, it’s insane, really bumpy and borderline can’t-believe-they-race-there,” he continued. “We both get phone calls from Helmut [Marko] and he says, ‘Whatever you do, do not crash in the first session because you need the time on the track to build up for the qualifying. Don’t crash!’ “The very first lap I go out, I complete it, I cool down and I see Yuki coming in the rearview.
I’m like, trying to get out of his way, I’m up against a brick wall. “And as he comes past me, he just clips my front wheel, goes flying and straight into the barrier. The gearbox is off the back, [he] destroys the car.
He breaks my front suspension as well, so I’m out of the session. “I remember thinking ‘I know exactly what you did’. Nobody else knows.
Everyone just thinks that we’ve had a clumsy little crash. But I know what he’s done. “I know that he’s tried to get close, and he’s obviously hit a f***ing bump because it’s Macau and he misjudged it.
” Tsunoda was unapologetic for it. “I saw him in the elevator that night,” he said. “I remember the elevator doors opening the first time I saw him, and he’s standing there, and I looked at him.
He smiled at me, and I knew straight away that he knew exactly what he had done.” Scoring four points in his first three races with VCARB, Lawson is expected to continue with the junior team next season if he doesn’t receive the call-up to replace Perez. Read next: Sergio Perez given final three-race target before big Red Bull decision.
