Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admits the decision to replace Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson is due to uncertainty over Sergio Perez’s claim to his seat in 2025.
Ricciardo made his final appearance for RB in Singapore, and Lawson will race for the team for the remaining six grands prix of the F1 season. That move comes in tandem with Perez having struggled for form for the majority of this year, and Horner said the occupant of the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen could change in 2025 despite Perez having a contract in place.
“Of course in a perfect world that’s what we would have done , but from a broader perspective we need answers for the bigger picture in terms of drivers,” Horner told the F1 Nation podcast. “And with six races remaining it’s the perfect opportunity to line Liam up alongside Yuki , to see how he performs over the remaining six grands prix.
“This goes beyond VCARB, it encompasses Red Bull Racing. Obviously we have a contract with Sergio for next year, but you’ve always got to have an eye out in terms of what comes next. Is that going to be Liam? Or do we need to look outside the pool? Or will one of the other juniors step up in the fullness of time, whether it’s Isack Hadjar or Arvid Lindblad?”
When it was put to Horner that he has been more ruthless with Ricciardo than he has been with Perez, the team principal said Helmut Marko was keen to replace the Australian far earlier in the season.
“I’ve done my very best to buy him as much time in the car to allow him to deliver, otherwise he would have been out of the car after Barcelona,” he said.