It's probably Lawson on the chopping block. Next year (assuming they want to do things the right way) they need someone with experience in the second seat to help with development and Tsunoda has more experience than Hadjar and Lawson combined. Lawson also bombed out of the RBR and he isn't doing that much better in the RB, his future prospects look dim. If the rest of the season continues the same for Lawson there's no reason to keep him for 2026.
Then again, this is RBR we're talking about. They're not known for making rational decisions when it comes to drivers.
Russell absolutely tried to get a penalty for Max. It's pretty obvious from his driver cam. You don't drive up the ass of the safety car, signal them to go faster and then slow down when the safety car speeds up.