Perez and Ricciardo under fresh Red Bull axe threat after significant Lawson update
Questions about their future are being faced by both Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo.
The pressure at Red Bull for Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo has risen again, as Liam Lawson is “definitely” going to have an F1 2025 seat within the Red Bull fold.
That assurance comes from Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, who has added an intriguing fresh layer to their driver situation now that Lawson is apparently guaranteed a spot on the F1 2025 grid with one of the Red Bull-owned teams.
Liam Lawson ‘definitely’ racing for a Red Bull team in F1 2025
As Perez faces difficulties at Red Bull while McLaren inches closer to the Constructors’ Championship leaders, the threat of him being replaced intensified before the summer break. Red Bull’s current reserve, Lawson, is now seen as a potential replacement for Perez, alongside VCARB’s Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo has also had a challenging campaign, with the possibility of Lawson taking his place becoming more prominent.
Over the summer break, Red Bull decided not to make any changes to their line-up, sparking rumors about Lawson’s future with the team. This was due to previous statements by Marko, who claimed that Lawson’s contract included an exit clause if Red Bull failed to secure him a seat. It was alleged that Red Bull had until the end of September to prevent this clause from being activated.
However, the team apparently won’t need to worry about this, as Marko confirmed Lawson will compete with either the Red Bull or VCARB team in F1 2025.
“He will definitely be in one of our cars next year,” said Marko of Lawson to Kleine Zeitung.
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Max Verstappen, a three-time World Champion and leader of the F1 2024 Championship, is safely secured at Red Bull. Meanwhile, Tsunoda has been retained by VCARB for F1 2025. This situation sets the stage for either Perez or Ricciardo to step aside for Lawson.
Marko states that if Perez wants to avoid being sidelined, he needs to demonstrate more consistency in his performance. According to Marko, despite having a strong start to the season, the Mexican driver’s performance once again significantly declined, which Red Bull needs to address.
“Marko said, ‘We’ll be pleased if Checo consistently performs at his usual speed. However, his performance tends to fluctuate, either during qualifying or at a certain point in the race.'”
The problem is the lack of consistency.
In 2023, Lawson replaced Ricciardo on the Red Bull second team for his Formula 1 debut, following an incident where the eight-time race winner broke his hand in a practice crash at Zandvoort.
The New Zealander made a strong impression in his five-race stint, with the pinnacle being a P9 finish in Singapore.
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