- A former world champion issued a worrying warning for one F1 star
- Expectations among fans are increasing in the run-up to the new F1 season
A former world champion has issued a chilling warning to one F1 star ahead of the 2025 season.
After an exciting year – in which Max Verstappen became champion for the fourth time in his career – expectations for the new season are increasing.
However, one driver who will be worried in the coming year is Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, who finds himself in a difficult situation ahead of the new season.
Last month, Red Bull has made the decision name Liam Lawson as their new number two driver – next to Max Verstappen – over Tsunoda.
Now former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has weighed in on the situation and insisted the Japanese driver will be the first to leave the grid.
“Tsunoda will be the first driver to leave the grid, he is only there because of Honda,” he said Action network. ‘At some point this will stop.
Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has issued a warning to one F1 star
Red Bull opted to overlook Yuki Tsunoda and instead opt for Liam Lawson for the 2025 season
‘It is quite clear that this is his last season with the Red Bull family anyway. And I don’t see any team wanting him unless there’s a big Honda push.”
He added: “It’s a big opportunity for Liam Lawson, it’s a big opportunity, but we’ve seen drivers who were put straight into the main team collapse very quickly. So we’ll see how mentally strong he is and how good he really is, because we don’t know yet.
‘Contractually, Lawson is there to help Verstappen. But in his own head he isn’t. In his mind he is there to replace Max.
“So he’ll try to be strong and fast. Hopefully it will put pressure on Max and force Max to drive even better. and thus help the team move forward.’
Tsunoda defeated Lawson in all six race weekends they competed in last season, winning four of those races and losing only the other two to a crash.
The Japanese driver’s dominance over Lawson is another reason why supporters have been left confused by Christian Horner and Red Bull’s decision.
Red Bull’s history of promoting young prodigies has not always proven fruitful, and Pierre Gasly’s brief stint in 2019 is testament to that.
And supporters fear Lawson could face the same fate as Gasly, who was relegated after the summer break of his only season in the ‘A team’.