Yuki Tsunoda will take Liam Lawson's place at the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend, but F1 hero Ralf Schumacher insists that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner actually wanted a different driver in the second seat.

As the two drivers at sister team Racing Bulls, Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar were always likely to be the main contenders for promotion.

The vastly more experienced Tsunoda, who some feel should have been picked ahead of Lawson to begin with, swiftly got the call-up despite past concerns over his on-track temperament.

Six-time Grand Prix winner Schumacher believes that what Horner truly wanted was to pinch Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto.

"Dr. Marko obviously wanted to take two drivers from his own squad for Red Bull, that was Lawson or Tsunoda," he told Backstage Boxengasse.

"Christian Horner doesn’t think much of either of them, he wanted the Argentinian Colapinto who, of course, shot himself in the foot when he had those three crashes [last season]."

READ MORE