The decision was abrupt even for Red Bull, which has cycled through half a dozen teammates for four-time world champion Verstappen. That list includes Lawson, Sergio Pérez, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, and, now, Tsunoda.

Lawson had just been promoted from Racing Bulls based on his performances last season, but he started this year by not finishing the Australian Grand Prix and finishing 12th at the Chinese Grand Prix, races where teammate Verstappen finished 2nd and 4th, respectively. Both results were terrible for a team that expected to compete for the constructor's championship this season. Red Bull is currently in third in the constructor's standings, with fewer than half as many points as first-place McLaren.

"It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and, as a result, we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said in a statement, adding that it was "purely" a sporting decision. "We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience, as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a team he knows very well."

Tsunoda will drive his first race in a Red Bull car at the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6, which is Tsunoda's home race. The occasion should be a sweet one for Tsunoda for more reasons than that, though, as the 24-year-old Tsunoda has been seemingly passed over a few times for a promotion into a championship-contending car. The 23-year-old Lawson, meanwhile, came up through the ranks of racing alongside Tsunoda but hasn't, so far, engendered as much enthusiasm from F1 fans.

"You can't [feel sympathy] in this sport, and if I look back over our career, I was teammates with him in F3 and I beat him. In Euroformula I was teammates with him in New Zealand, and I beat him there," Lawson said earlier this year about Tsunoda. "He's had his time. Now it's my time."

It is still Lawson's time, but now he'll be spending that time in the slower Racing Bulls car, while it is still Tsunoda's time, too, but now in the faster Red Bull. Whether Tsunoda can improve on Lawson's performances in the Red Bull car is still to be seen, but after Lawson's DNF and 12th place so far this year, there's almost nowhere else to go but up.