Liam Lawson has been making headlines recently after he delivered some outstanding performances for AlphaTauri. In just the three races that he has competed in, the 21-year-old has already scored a couple of points. However, despite the same, Red Bull decided to snub him and instead offer Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo another year at AlphaTauri. Ever since there have been rumors that Lawson only decided to continue as a reserve driver at AlphaTauri after receiving assurances that he would get a full-time seat at either the Italian outfit or the main Red Bull team in 2025.
These rumors undoubtedly do not bode well for either Sergio Perez or Daniel Ricciardo. However, to reduce the pressure on the two, Red Bull now seem to have quashed these rumors.
Team principal Christian Horner issued a clarification about the future of Lawson. The 49-year-old said that while the New Zealander has undoubtedly made a strong case for himself to be considered as an option for the future, there are “no guarantees” in life.
🚨 RUMOUR : Liam Lawson had agreed to a sim/reserve role for 2024 as he has apparently received a contractual obligation for a race seat at either Red Bull Racing or AlphaTauri in 2025
[@jeppe_olesen] #F1 pic.twitter.com/8o2rAtqrzK
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 25, 2023
Christian Horner clarifies Red Bull’s position on Liam Lawson
As quoted by RBR Daily, Christian Horner has issued a clarification about Red Bull’s position on Liam Lawson in a recent interview with Crash F1. The 49-year-old said, “There is no guarantees of anything in life. We’ll keep developing him when he goes back into that test and reserve role, and he’ll be a candidate certainly for 2025“.
🚨 Horner has denied reports of a “guaranteed” RB/AT seat for Liam Lawson in 2025:
“There is no guarantees of anything in life.”
“We’ll keep developing him when he goes back into that test and reserve role, and he’ll be a candidate certainly for 2025.”
[@CRASH_NET_F1] #F1 pic.twitter.com/lYy4xirhPa
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 28, 2023
Even though the British team principal has clarified Red Bull’s stance, it will not decrease the pressure on Sergio Perez. The Mexican’s inconsistent performances this season have resulted in many experts believing that he is not the right fit for the Milton Keynes outfit.
Meanwhile, another issue that Red Bull have to deal with is that of Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian is already 34 and has made his intentions clear of wanting to drive for Red Bull sometime in the future.
If the Milton Keynes outfit does not give the Honey Badger a drive, he may himself come under increasing pressure from Liam Lawson. Furthermore, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has also issued both Perez and Ricciardo a challenge.
Marko raises concerns about Red Bull’s future
Since both Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo are over 30, Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull does need to think about their future. The Austrian recently stated in an interview with Sky Sport Formel 1 (as quoted by RBR Daily) that the team will hold discussions with both Perez and Ricciardo to understand for how much longer are the two drivers want to race in F1.
While Marko seems to have his eyes on Red Bull’s future, the company’s two team does seem to be in a strong position, as they currently have five top drivers, including Liam Lawson. However, the question that arises with Lawson is how much more patient he is willing to be before he decides he wants to switch teams to get a full-time race seat.
