Liam Lawson drove the RB20 in Silverstone as part of a test during filming day for Red Bull. His F1 future was dependent on this, and by putting in a good shift, he could have paved his way into the grid as early as the second half of 2024. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look to be the case.
According to Planet F1’s Thomas Maher, Lawson was not up to the mark and the journalist described his running as “underwhelming”, a feeling he reveals the Red Bull bosses share.
“His quickest benchmark time being two-tenths off the time earmarked as Verstappen’s benchmark from the weekend.”
EXCLUSIVE: Liam Lawson is set to test Red Bull’s RB20 #F1 car at Silverstone next week, Autosport has learned, as the rumour-mill intensifies over Sergio Perez’s future at the team
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However, that doesn’t end Lawson’s chances of getting an F1 seat in 2024. Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen’s teammate, is in a huge slump in form and he can’t seem to get out of it.
There are reportedly clauses in his contract which could see him sacked at the Belgian GP if conditions are not met. As such, how Perez performs at the upcoming races in Hungary and Spa will determine Lawson’s immediate future.
Lawson, on the other hand, would be extremely disappointed with his running. He could have pulled off a Daniel Ricciardo-esque move to force his way into Red Bull/V-CARB but now, it is up to the driver under threat.
Lawson couldn’t do what Ricciardo did
Like Lawson in 2024 got the same opportunity Ricciardo did last year. With Nyck De Vries’ seat in danger, Ricciardo, put up a great performance in Silverstone testing to convince the Red Bull bosses that he was ready for a return.
His pace was faster than Verstappen’s was in Silverstone. And just a week later, the Honey Badger replaced De Vries and became an AlphaTauri driver.
In Lawson’s case, however, he has to wait for at least three weeks. Red Bull chief Helmut Marko previously revealed that Perez’s future will be discussed during the summer break, and Lawson will be eagerly waiting for a verdict in his favor.
