Liam Lawson, the current reserve driver of Visa Cash App RB, temporarily raced for the team last year in place of the then-injured Daniel Ricciardo and was a hot topic for many fans. Speculations arose that he could replace either the Australian from the Visa Cash App RB or Sergio Perez from Red Bull. However, with Perez confirmed to stay, Lawson is now in hot waters.
Red Bull’s predicament with Liam Lawson
Red Bull Academy has produced many prodigies, including their current driver and 3-time world champion Max Verstappen. However, Red Bull is not ready to take on their young talent for Formula 1, creating a huge predicament with Liam Lawson.
Christian Horner did deem Lawson a future solution to Red Bull‘s current driver lineup issues. Per PlanetF1, the Red Bull boss stated,
“We’ve got issues today, but you’ve got to have solutions for tomorrow as well. I think we’ve got a tremendous pool of talent… We’ve got Liam [Lawson] in the wings; we’ve got Hadjar doing a super job in F2, and we’ve got Arvid Lindblad, who I think is a really exciting talent in F3.”
Lawson’s usefulness to Red Bull
On July 31st in Imola, Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo took a short test for V-CARB. Fans speculate whether it was to test both drivers as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez in the future.
Decision time is coming…
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) July 27, 2024
Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson will go head to head in a shootout test at Imola on Wednesday.
The move comes amid growing doubt over Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat.#F1 #RedBull #DanielRicciardo #LiamLawson #SergioPerez pic.twitter.com/8U4hlzncyu
Despite statements that he will stay, Red Bull considers Liam Lawson as an alternative if Perez is replaced mid-year. Figures such as Christian Horner and Dr. Helmut Marko have repeatedly announced Perez’s confirmation.
Liam Lawson’s response to the Red Bull betrayal
The only possible alternative for Liam Lawson is to wait until Red Bull or V-CARB offers him a seat in Formula 1 or seek out other teams or motorsport categories.
Apart from his Formula 1 endeavours, Lawson has had success after his Formula 3 and 2 seasons with the 2023 Super Formula Championship. He came in second in the driver’s championship, with only an eight-point difference.
The Super Formula has been a benchmark for young Formula 1 prodigies, and along with Lawson’s outstanding performances in V-CARB last year, he should have earned the seat. However, that is not the case yet.
He is allowed to explore other options after September according to his contract with the Milton Keynes team if he is not given a seat by then.
The fans have shown their disapproval over the Austrian team’s choice of retaining both Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez, hence leaving the talented New Zealander without a seat in 2025.
🚨 | Liam Lawson’s future with Red Bull is in doubt.
— formularacers (@formularacers_) August 4, 2024
Although Lawson is a contentder to join VCARB in 2025, Red Bull’s indecision could drive him to look elsewhere on the grid.
[@lastwordonsport]
Upon this, V-CARB CEO Peter Bayer commented:
“Liam is part of the team; he’s our test driver, and he’s in the simulator. As most of you know, he’ll be in the TPC [testing of the previous car]. We do our job to develop young drivers, but the decision on the second seat will be taken quietly, and we’re not in a hurry.”
Lawson’s future is still up for stakes after the Red Bull betrayal. Do you think Lawson will have a seat in 2025 with the Red Bull family, or will he join some other team? Comment down below.
Rohit Kumar