Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull seat swap with Liam Lawson leaves both with plenty to prove and still facing considerable career uncertainty.
Tsunoda, in his fifth season and promoted from Racing Bulls on Thursday to partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen from next week's Japanese Grand Prix, will happily take on a task that has proved a poisoned chalice for others.
The Japanese should see it as a potential lifeline, with the 24-year-old's tenure at the Red Bull junior team already at risk when his backers Honda depart for Aston Martin at the start of a new engine era in 2026.
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