Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hinted that Liam Lawson could be in line to replace Sergio Pérez alongside Max Verstappen as early as next season. Horner mentioned that they removed Daniel Ricciardo from their sister team RB to give Lawson a chance, as the Australian failed to demonstrate sufficient form to step up. Ricciardo, who had a successful stint with Red Bull from 2014 to 2018, was placed at RB to prove his readiness to replace Pérez if the Mexican's performance continued to decline. However, with Pérez still underperforming, Red Bull felt Ricciardo hadn't done enough to warrant his return, prompting Horner to consider fresh, young talent.
The 22-year-old Lawson, who was the Red Bull reserve driver, will join RB alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the final six races of this season, starting at the US GP on October 20. In an interview with the F1 Nation podcast, Horner explained the decision to choose Lawson, suggesting that Pérez's position with the team may be precarious. "All drivers are under pressure to perform, but the reason Daniel was in that car was to get back into a position to potentially replace Checo [Pérez] if he didn't deliver," Horner said. "We need clarity for our driver lineup. This is a perfect chance to see how Liam performs alongside Yuki over the remaining six races."
Despite Verstappen leading the world championship by 52 points, Red Bull has fallen behind McLaren in the constructors' championship, trailing by 41 points, largely due to Pérez's insufficient scoring. Red Bull extended Pérez's contract earlier this season in hopes of boosting his confidence, but it hasn't worked. He hasn't been on the podium since China and is currently eighth in the championship. His contract reportedly includes a clause allowing the team to drop him if he's more than 100 points behind Verstappen, which he is.
Red Bull's director of motorsport, Helmut Marko, expressed his disappointment after Pérez's poor performance in Spa. "Sergio had a chance to secure a good result from second place," Marko said. "Unfortunately, that didn't happen. He completely fell apart in the final stint." Horner confirmed that Marko was also critical of Ricciardo's form, leading the team to explore other options. The fact that Tsunoda hasn't been promoted suggests the team doesn't consider him a viable candidate.
Instead, Red Bull is focusing on younger drivers, with Horner mentioning Red Bull juniors Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad, as well as being impressed by the performances of Oliver Bearman for Ferrari and Haas, and Franco Colapinto for Williams this season. "We have a contract with Sergio for next year," Horner said. "But we always need to be looking ahead. Could it be Liam? Or do we need to look outside our current pool? Or will one of our other juniors step up, like Isack Hadjar or Arvid Lindblad?"
