Liam Lawson has been the center of much speculation lately, with many fans, insiders, and pundits suggesting that he could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing in 2025. However, the young New Zealander put those rumors to rest in a recent conversation when he was asked to comment on the same.
The talks around Lawson potentially taking Perez’s seat have grown louder, especially after his impressive performances since replacing Daniel Ricciardo at RB earlier in the season. Despite this, the 22-year-old emphasized that such discussions occur mostly outside the team and not within. Lawson made it clear that he is fully focused on his current role and not on what the future may hold.
However, Yuki Tsunoda is not really mentioned as a possible successor: his new team-mate Liam Lawson, who has been racing since Austin, is considered the main contender, but the name of Franco Colapinto, who has been a great performer for Williams, has also been mentioned in…
— Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) November 22, 2024
“I’m not really looking at anything else or next year or what potential opportunities are about in the future. So that’s for everybody else to speculate and obviously, that’s a very common thing in F1 in social media. So I guess, that’s part of it but within the team, I think we do a good job to keep it very, um very channeled.” he shared in a recent conversation with ESPN.
His comments suggest he is content to continue his development at RB for now, where he will likely compete next season. There is also the fact that the Mexican was given a two-year extension with Red Bull mid-season, which runs till the end of 2026. So until Red Bull decides to take a different direction, Perez is likely to remain with the Milton Keynes squad.
Red Bull has a history of suddenly sacking their drivers
After a decent run of form in 2022, Perez has struggled massively during both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, leading Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to publicly highlight his frustrations. Horner, who extended Perez’s contract as a show of faith, recently suggested that there’s only so much the team can do to support a driver, a comment some see as a warning of an impending swap.
Adding to the intrigue, Horner was spotted leaving the Williams motorhome during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, further fueling the rumors about Franco Colapinto. The talented Argentine driver, who will be a free agent in 2025, is reportedly on Red Bull’s radar for their 2025 driver lineup.
horner spotted leaving williams hospitality, i wanna know what this means pic.twitter.com/e5kNKUDrRH
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) November 1, 2024
Lawson’s sudden promotion has also been seen as part of Red Bull’s long-term strategy to groom the New Zealander to partner with Verstappen in the future. Although Lawson and Red Bull have denied any immediate plans to replace Perez, the pieces seem to be falling into place for the same to happen, which means the rumors of an impending change at the Milton Keynes-based outfit are unlikely to go away anytime soon.
