Lando Norris has already explained why Red Bull shouldn’t promote Yuki Tsunoda for Japanese Grand Prix

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Yuki Tsunoda is reportedly set to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have taken extraordinary action after just two races.

Red Bull have long been regarded as the most ruthless team in F1 when it comes to axing drivers. But even they have tended to give strugglers at least half a season.

In this case, though, they have clearly seen something in Lawson’s data or his demeanour to render his position untenable. It’s been widely claimed that Red Bull have decided to promote Tsunoda at long last for round three at Suzuka.

Lawson will return to the de facto junior team just as Pierre Gasly did during the 2019 season. Tsunoda, meanwhile, finally gets his chance after being repeatedly overlooked.

Yuki Tsunoda would be under too much pressure at Japanese Grand Prix, and Lando Norris knows it

It may be a coincidence that Tsunoda is set to make his Red Bull debut at his home Grand Prix. Alternatively, the commercial opportunities may be a factor in the decision.

Either way, it could backfire. Red Bull have concerns about Tsunoda’s mindset, which is why they haven’t promoted him previously.

And yet, they could now place him in an unimaginably high-pressure situation. The publicity around Tsunoda would skyrocket in both the domestic and international media.

Speaking in 2023, Lando Norris offered a telling insight into the intensity of a driver’s home race. Having briefly led the British Grand Prix, he said his ‘heart was racing’ and admitted that he ‘was watching the crowd’.

Tsunoda would be shouldering this expectation while also trying to impress the notoriously impatient Helmut Marko and prove Red Bull had reached the right decision. He’d be doing all this in a seat that has come to be viewed as F1’s ultimate poisoned chalice.

On that basis, there’s a compelling argument to wait a little longer. Lawson surely deserves more than two Grands Prix to prove himself – he’s far more familiar with Suzuka than he was with Australia or China – and even if a change is inevitable, Tsunoda may be more comfortable making his debut after the upcoming triple-header.

Why Sergio Perez didn’t want Yuki Tsunoda to replace him at Red Bull

Tsunoda could make his Red Bull ‘debut’ before Japan, as it turns out, with a potential Tokyo show-run scheduled in the run-up to the race. This would serve as his unveiling.

It seems the team are already exploring lucrative marketing avenues. But it may be wiser to keep Tsunoda out of the spotlight.

• READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the Japanese Grand Prix

Worryingly, Sergio Perez didn’t want Red Bull to sign Tsunoda when he was facing the exit. He was never the favourite to replace the Mexican despite his impressive performances next to Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo and indeed Lawson.

Perez was apparently convinced that Red Bull would ‘get rid’ of Tsunoda, thus continuing the second-seat cycle. The 24-year-old only needs to stay with the front-runners in qualifying and the race to be considered an upgrade, but that’s easier said than done.