Liam Lawson looks set to loose his seat at Red Bull, and potentially in Formula One (F1), in the coming days, according to reports.
As reported by Erik van Haren and Motorsport.com, Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda is set to swap with Lawson ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
That would, for now at least, conclude an incredibly short stint at Red Bull for Liam Lawson, with just the two Grand Prix and one sprint race under his belt.
Despite Lawson having an exceptionally short time at Red Bull, his is not the shortest career in recent history.
Here are the five shortest F1 careers in recent history. Do you remember any of these names?
The Shortest Careers in Recent F1 History
Jack Aitken
With just the one Grand Prix under his belt, the much-loved Jack Aitken was the 766th person to race a F1 car when he drove for Williams at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
The Brit’s one start came after Lewis Hamilton tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to isolate. He was replaced by George Russell, leaving the Williams car vacant and reserve driver Aitken to step in.
In the Sakhir Grand Prix, Aitken finished 16th after qualifying 17th. Since F1, he has gone on to race in endurance racing, including the 24 hours of Le Mans and 24 hours of Spa.
Pietro Fittipaldi
Also making his debut at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, Pietro Fittipaldi replaced Romain Grosjean after the Frenchman was forced to sit out after his accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix a week before.
If the surname rings a bell, that’s because he is the grandson of former F1 World Champion Emerson, the first grandson of a F1 driver to race in the series.
In his two races in F1, Fittipaldi finished 17th in Sakhir and 19th in Abu Dhabi for Haas.
The Brazilian maintains his role as test and reserve driver for the team and also competes in IMSA and European Le Mans series.
Yuji Ide
The oldest entrant on this list, the story of Yuji Ide is, in equal parts, fascinating, hilarious, and slightly worrying in retrospect.
The 708th F1 driver, Ide competed in four races for Super Aguri in 2006 in a seat secured through his own financial backing.
Ide’s four races in the sport consisted on two engine failures, stalling the car in the middle of the track, and a crash that sent Christijan Albers cartwheeling into the gravel.
The Japanese driver was replaced for the next round and had his super-license terminated soon after.
Alexander Rossi
Alexander Rossi is a tale of what could have been for a driver who couldn’t compete with pay drivers.
Rossi spent years as a reserve driver for Caterham and Manor/Marussia before eventually racing five times for Manor Marussia, with a best finish of 12th.
The American then switched to IndyCar in the years since and claimed eight wins in the series, including winning the Indy500 on debut in 2016.
Karun Chandock
Now beloved on our screens for his work on Sky Sports F1, Karun Chandock’s career in F1 was a short one with just 11 Grand Prix to his name.
The Indian driver turned up to his first F1 race with his car not fully assembled, as HRT struggled in their first season in F1.
Despite some impressive performances, Chandock lacked the financial muscle that other drivers in contention for the seat had and was dropped after the 2010 British Grand Prix.