The speculations surrounding the future of Liam Lawson do not seem to cease following his impressive few performances in the three races he has competed in so far. Amid speculations that the New Zealander could leave the Red Bull family, the Milton Keynes outfit have made another promise. However, this vow may not bode well for Sergio Perez or Daniel Ricciardo.
Previously Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had claimed in an interview with Crash F1 that Lawson has “no guarantees” that he would receive a seat in the 2025 season. However, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has now provided some remarks in stark contrast.
Helmut Marko assures Liam Lawson of an F1 seat in 2025
In a recent interview with Kleine Zeitung, Helmut Marko was all praises for Liam Lawson. The 80-year-old said that the New Zealander definitely has all the potential to be a Grand Prix winner. The Austrian believes that the 21-year-old has “mastered all the tasks so far masterfully and under the most difficult conditions“.
Marko then added, “He’s a tough racer and one of the strongest drivers ever in a duel. With the role of reserve driver, he has a big task next year. He’ll be there by 2025 at the latest. But he’s already in a Formula 1 car anyway“. Since both Red Bull and AlphaTauri already have a confirmed line-up for the 2024 season, it means that one of them may face the sack if Lawson is to join one of these two teams.
The only driver who seems to have a confirmed spot on the team is Max Verstappen because of the staggering success that he has had recently. Hence, this news does not bode well for Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, or Yuki Tsunoda. However, as per an F1 expert, the Mexican’s spot is under the greatest threat.
Barreto believes Red Bull are likely to sack Perez
As quoted by RBR Daily, Lawrence Barretto has claimed that Red Bull are likely to swap Sergio Perez with Daniel Ricciardo in the mid-2024 season or in 2025. The F1 expert then adds that AlphaTauri will then replace the Australian with Liam Lawson. The pressure is on the Mexican to deliver as he has struggled massively this season.
🚨 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
The 33-year-old has just won two races in stark contrast to Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, who has won 13. Moreover, the Dutchman has a whopping 177-point lead over the former Racing Point driver going into this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix. If Verstappen were to finish sixth or higher in the sprint race, he would be crowned champion for a third consecutive time.
Therefore, with the 25-year-old already edging closer towards a third title, the minimum expectation that Red Bull will have of Perez is to finish second in the championship. As things stand, the Guadalajara-born driver has a 33-point lead over third-placed Lewis Hamilton.