Red Bull 'underwhelmed' by Sergio Perez replacement as under-fire star gets F1 lifeline
Sergio Perez is on thin ice heading into the summer break, but he may have a saving grace despite his miserable current form.
Red Bull bosses were reportedly ‘underwhelmed’ by Liam Lawson’s lap times during a private test at Silverstone this week.
The New Zealander has been tipped as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez, who is at risk of losing his seat with the reigning champions heading into the summer break. Perez was awarded a new contract ahead of the race in Montreal, which Christian Horner hoped would inspire him to continue his upward trajectory.
However, the opposite transpired. Heading into the penultimate race before the summer break, the Mexican has failed to score points in three of the last five rounds with a best finish of P7.
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Those performances have left his career balancing on a knife’s edge. With two races remaining before the summer break, Helmut Marko has promised that Red Bull “will have an evaluation in the summer break of what we are going to do”, leaving Checo’s future up in the air.
While initial reports suggested that Daniel Ricciardo would be the man most likely to replace Perez if a mid-season switch did come about, Lawson’s name soon came into the conversation, and the 22-year-old was pencilled in for a private test at Silverstone in the week following the British Grand Prix.
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However, according to a report from PlanetF1, the New Zealander’s performance in the test was ‘underwhelming’ to Red Bull bosses, and Lawson’s fastest lap time was still two-tenths of a second shy of the benchmark laid down by the team.
This isn’t necessarily a disaster for Lawson. The Kiwi hasn’t raced full-time since his Super Formula campaign came to an end in 2023 and that will be considered by Red Bull, but it is also true that his struggles will alleviate the pressure facing Perez.
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For the Mexican racer, the situation is clear. He must impress in the upcoming races in Hungary or Belgium, or face an abrupt end to his Red Bull career. Should this timeline play out, seats with Alpine, Sauber and Williams would likely be his only chance to stay on the grid for a 15th consecutive season.
However, if Lawson doesn’t appear ready, Yuki Tsunoda remains unfancied and Ricciardo’s performances continue to be a source of concern then Perez may find himself in the second Red Bull seat until the end of the season due to a lack of a more compelling alternative.
