After an abysmal performance that saw him finish in P7 despite starting the race from the front row in Belgium, Sergio Perez looked destined to exit Red Bull. Therefore, it came as a surprise when Red Bull announced his retention. The biggest reason behind the retention came in the form of Liberty Media’s intervention, which reminded Red Bull of Perez’s financial strength.
There has, however, emerged yet another timeline that involves Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson. While the Aussie was the favorite to take over the Mexican’s seat, the New Zealander was the favorite to inherit the vacant VCARB cockpit once the 35-year-old joined the main Red Bull team.
Those plans slipped down the drain as Ricciardo drove the RB VCARB 01 on the filming day in Imola. Lawson, meanwhile, drove the AlphaTauri AT03. Had the plan to sack Perez gone through, Motorsport.com suggests the duo would have driven the opposite cars.
One of the outcomes from the meeting between Marko and Horner was that it would be better to give Checo more of what he needed from the car to get results rather than putting someone new in the car, @Motorsport reports.
[https://t.co/qDhZRhfWQU] pic.twitter.com/VbpsjiwdaS
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 30, 2024
The Red Bull top brass had reportedly told the Verstappen family about their intention to let Perez go before Liberty Media’s intervention resulted in them reversing their decision. The F1 commercial rights holder was concerned about the losses they might have to face at the Mexican GP if Perez was no longer on the grid.
There was, apparently, another intervention that came through billionaire businessman and Perez’s long-time sponsor Carlos Slim. His meeting with the Red Bull management finally led to Perez’s retention. Red Bull then further changed the Imola filming day plans, which would have seen Lawson partially appearing for a test run in the VCARB 01.
Their plan to have Lawson carry out such a test was to prepare him to take over Ricciardo’s seat at VCARB. However, with Perez retaining his Red Bull seat, Ricciardo will remain at VCARB, and this results in Lawson having to wait longer for his opportunity, much to the New Zealander’s dismay.
Red Bull’s decision on Perez’s future surprised Verstappen’s family
While Perez’s exit after the Belgian GP was expected, the swiftness with which Red Bull took the decision initially wasn’t. Not even to the Verstappens who took the news by surprise.
As per F1-Insider, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko personally approached the Verstappen family shortly after the Belgian GP to deliver the news. The report stated,
“Even the Verstappen family was surprised. Before leaving the Belgian Grand Prix, both Red Bull team boss Christian Horner (50) and Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko (81) gave them clear statements: ‘Perez is gone. Max Verstappen will get a new teammate at the first race after the summer break at the home race in Zandvoort.'”
As per the report, the Dutch family was equally surprised when they heard about the team reversing its decision. Marko, however, has issued a clarification. Neither Perez nor Ricciardo’s seat is permanent. Both teams will face a reshuffle in 2025.
