Red Bull driver line-up taking shape with Liam Lawson replacement named – report

Red Bull have enjoyed huge success in F1 with the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen

Red Bull have reportedly chosen Formula 2 driver Isack Hadjar to replace Liam Lawson as their reserve driver after the Kiwi stepped up to a VCARB race seat for the rest of F1 2024.

Red Bull, the only organisation on the grid with two teams, played driver Jenga this week when they dropped Daniel Ricciardo in favour of Lawson.

Isack Hadjar to be Red Bull and VCARB reserve driver

Red Bull’s junior team VCARB confirmed that long-expected news on Thursday as team boss Laurent Mekies announced Lawson would replace Ricciardo with immediate effect ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

Ricciardo, however, won’t be filling Lawson’s role for the final six races as he gave an emphatic “no” to becoming a reserve driver when asked about that option in the days leading up his exit.

Instead, Sky F1 reports it is Formula 2 driver and Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar who’ll be the reserve driver for both Red Bull and VCARB until the end of the season.

Hadjar, who is second in the Formula 2 championship where he is just four and a half points behind Gabriel Bortoleto with two rounds remaining, is also expected to cover the second of Red Bull’s young driver outings on a grand prix Friday later this season.

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Isack Hadjar features on Helmut Marko’s list for the ‘future’

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko named Hadjar as one of the young drivers Red Bull are considering for the “future” when he spoke with Formel1.de about the decision to drop Ricciardo.

“Ricciardo was brought back with the chance to come to Red Bull Racing if he showed the appropriate performance at Racing Bulls [VCARB],” he explained. “But you have to see it in a bigger context.

“We have a whole bunch of young drivers. There’s Hadjar, there’s Lawson. And then there’s Iwasa, without us being able to rank them. We have to look to the future.

“And we also want to make comparisons: Where does Lawson stand compared to Yuki?

“And then, for the future, what does the driver pairing look like for our two teams?”

He had previously talked up the 20-year-old to Speedweek, saying: “He has the potential for Formula 1. We will see how everything develops, but he will definitely play a role.

“It could be that, like Lawson, he will spend a year as a test and simulator driver.”

Hadjar will be hoping Marko’s words come to fruition as he is dreaming of stepping up into Formula 1.

“For me, my goal is Formula 1,” he told the F2 website last month. “If I want to get a seat, it’s all about performing every weekend. It’s showing your best self every time you’re on track, you have to show something.

“You have to have the speed, you have to have fight and make overtakes. I could count the points, take a safe approach every weekend and bring home the points, but that’s not what I’m trying to do here.”

Red Bull have two of their F1 2025 drivers confirmed in Max Verstappen at Red Bull and Yuki Tsunoda at VCARB.

It is once again being rumoured that Sergio Perez’s future is not guaranteed and he could announce his retirement at the Mexican GP, which could mean Lawson is auditioning for either of the organisation’s two remaining seats.

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