Despite Red Bull electing to retain Sergio Perez for the remainder of the 2024 season, there is immense speculation in the paddock about who will replace the #11 driver in 2025. Amid such speculation, former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan has confidently name-dropped an F1 driver he feels will be partnering with Max Verstappen in 2025 and beyond.
On his Formula for Success podcast, the 76-year-old answered a fan-sent question about Verstappen’s teammate next year. The Irishman is confident that Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson will be announced as the Dutchman’s teammate.
“Liam Lawson, remember those words guys,” said Jordan. Co-host and former Red Bull driver David Coulthard chipped in with praise for the 22-year-old’s performances last year for AlphaTauri (now V-CARB).
Filling in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo, Lawson impressed the entire paddock with his performances in the handful of races he drove for the team in the second half of the season. Most notably, he out-qualified Max Verstappen and scored his maiden F1 points at the 2023 Singapore GP.
Helmut Marko regarding Liam Lawson:
“Next year he’ll be sitting in one of our cars.”
[https://t.co/WVHq0iSJd3] pic.twitter.com/RwKsDMce2x
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 22, 2024
Jordan’s prediction comes after Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko dropped a big hint about the New Zealander’s future. The Austrian has confirmed that Lawson will occupy one of the four Red Bull seats next year. Motorsport.com quoted him as saying, “[Liam Lawson] will definitely be in one of our cars next year.”
Two people in the paddock, however, hope that Lawson does not make the cut to the main Red Bull team. Ricciardo is still hopeful that a strong showing in the second half of the season can earn him a call back to the Milton-Keynes-based team.
On the other hand, Ricciardo’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda feels that he has done enough to warrant a promotion with Red Bull. Tsunoda went as far as saying that if Red Bull choose Lawson over him, it would be “weird” as per Formula1.com. As things stand, three drivers are vying to become Verstappen’s teammate in 2025.
