On April 1, 2025, the Red Bull Racing saga took a turn worthy of a Hollywood thriller. Yuki Tsunoda, the pint-sized Japanese driver with a fiery spirit, was thrust into the spotlight, promoted to the senior team after just two races to replace the struggling Liam Lawson. The move, abrupt even by Red Bull’s cutthroat standards, has tongues wagging: is Tsunoda merely a chess piece in the hands of “underground forces” within the Milton Keynes outfit, daring to challenge the untouchable Max Verstappen? The drama unfolding behind the scenes suggests a power play that could reshape F1’s most dominant team.

Tsunoda’s elevation from Racing Bulls, where he’d honed his craft for four seasons, came as a shock. Lawson, heralded as a mentally tough prospect, faltered in the RB21—a car so twitchy only Verstappen, the four-time world champion, seems to tame it. After Lawson’s pointless outings in Australia and China, Red Bull swapped him out, citing a “duty of care” to rebuild his confidence. Enter Tsunoda, a driver long overlooked despite outpacing Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and Lawson himself. But this isn’t just about performance—it’s about politics, ambition, and unseen hands moving the pieces.

Whispers point to “underground forces”—a shadowy coalition possibly involving Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko and outgoing engine partner Honda. Marko, a Tsunoda backer, has clashed with team principal Christian Horner over driver choices before. With Honda, who nurtured Tsunoda and owns Suzuka (site of his Red Bull debut), shifting to Aston Martin in 2026, could this be their parting shot? A cash injection or influence from Honda to secure Tsunoda’s promotion isn’t implausible, especially as Red Bull faces a constructors’ title drought, trailing McLaren by 42 points. Tsunoda, then, becomes a pawn—a test of loyalty and leverage in a fractured hierarchy.

But who dares “against” Verstappen? The Dutchman, a generational talent, has liked posts calling Lawson’s demotion “bullying,” hinting at discontent with Horner’s leadership. His contract runs to 2028, yet tensions from Horner’s 2024 controversies linger. If Marko and Honda are pushing Tsunoda to unsettle Verstappen’s reign—or even prepare a successor should he bolt to Mercedes—the stakes are sky-high. Tsunoda’s task is Herculean: master a car that’s chewed up Gasly, Albon, Perez, and now Lawson, all while facing a teammate who’s outqualified them 96% of the time since 2019.

The drama peaks at Suzuka. Tsunoda, backed by home fans and Honda’s legacy, must prove he’s no mere puppet. Success could cement his place; failure might see him discarded, another casualty of Red Bull’s ruthless chessboard. As Verstappen watches, the question looms: are these underground forces bold enough to challenge the king, or is Tsunoda just the latest piece sacrificed in their game?