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Formula 1: How a junior driver has put Red Bull under immense pressure

BBG News

As a long-time Formula 1 fan and follower of Liam Lawson’s career, I can’t help but feel the tension building around his potential move to Red Bull or RB for the 2025 season. Lawson’s impressive performance as a reserve driver for Red Bull in 2021 has certainly caught the attention of team bosses Helmut Marko and Christian Horner.

Since 2019, Liam Lawson has been part of the Red Bull team. There’s growing expectation that Helmut Marko and Christian Horner will soon promote the New Zealand driver to race for Red Bull or its sister team in Formula 1.

According to reports, Lawson could potentially take over Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull Racing if Perez is dismissed. Alternatively, he might replace Daniel Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda should either of them be promoted within the team.

At first, people were taken aback when Red Bull decided to keep Ricciardo alongside Tsunoda and maintain Lawson in his reserve role from the previous year. However, the 22-year-old driver was considered the top contender to take over from any driver at Red Bull or RB this season. And that assessment of him still holds true.

Pressure is building on Red Bull

Lawson’s agreement with Red Bull includes a provision: Marko and Horner need to act fast when September arrives. At this point, Kiwi driver Lawson will no longer be bound by his contract and can discuss terms with any team that has available seats for the 2025 racing season.

Last season, when Ricciardo was injured, the New Zealander displayed his exceptional abilities, which didn’t go unnoticed by Red Bull.

During the summer break, it’s essential for Perez to carefully assess all relevant information as he may only have two races left to secure his position with Red Bull. Additionally, Lawson’s filming session following the British Grand Prix and the upcoming test at Imola warrant close attention.

I, as a big Red Bull racing fan, can tell you that Helmut Marko is hoping for Lawson to stick around with the team. Marko, being the guy in charge of driver development, expressed his faith that Lawson deserves another shot with us, possibly sharing the grid with Tsunoda or even Verstappen.

In about three weeks, Lawson will be accessible to all Formula One teams. It’s likely that significant decisions regarding his future will be made once the summer break begins. Furthermore, Marko and Red Bull mentioned their intention to revert back to being a team primarily focused on nurturing young talent. This could potentially impact Ricciardo’s tenure with the organization.

Placing Lawson at the race car driver position (RB) would be wiser, given the emerging competition for the constructor title among leading teams. Introducing him gradually into a less stressful role before moving him up to the primary team seems like a sensible plan.

Other teams besides Red Bull may strongly consider signing Lawson if given the opportunity, and some might even be quietly biding their time until September 1st. Consequently, Marko and Horner must make up their minds about Perez’s future in Red Bull swiftly to avoid relinquishing their lead in the constructor standings.

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2024-07-18 19:02

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