F1 News: Christian Horner Hints At Sergio Perez Replacement

Christian Horner reveals insights into Red Bull's future driver decisions, hinting at potential changes after Sergio Perez's 2024 contract ends while praising young talent Liam Lawson.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hinted at the potential departure of Sergio "Checo" Perez after the 2024 season. His remarks come amidst speculations surrounding Liam Lawson's future with the team.

Key Takeaways

• Despite Liam Lawson's impressive stints as a stand-in at AlphaTauri, he has been ruled out for a full-time race seat in 2024 with Red Bull retaining Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo.
• Horner emphasised Red Bull's strategy to have the best drivers available. With Max Verstappen on a long-term contract, and Sergio Perez's contract ending in 2024, the team is exploring all options for the future.

Amidst the swirling speculation around the future roster of Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner offered some insight during a recent interview with Sky Sports F1. Horner acknowledged the talents of New Zealander Liam Lawson, who has left a significant mark during his three outings for AlphaTauri in place of an injured Daniel Ricciardo. However, for the 2024 season, Red Bull has chosen the combination of Yuki Tsunoda and Ricciardo for AlphaTauri.

In Horner's words: 

“Look, all of those drivers are Red Bull Racing drivers, effectively placed at AlphaTauri.

“Daniel, with his experience and his motivation to come back, I think he’ll add great leadership to that team, and a great benchmark.

“Yuki has been making progress and I think having Daniel there as that benchmark, he’ll only learn from that.

“Liam, it’s only a matter of time before he gets his opportunity and full-time chance. To have the three of them there is very strong for the group.” 

Red Bull Press Image

Looking forward, Horner emphasised the team's approach to the 2025 season. With Max Verstappen secured on a long-term contract and Sergio Perez's term ending after 2024, Horner stated:

“At Red Bull Racing we want the best two drivers that are available.

“We’ve got a long-term contract with Max. Checo is out of contract at the end of 24, and so you want to explore and see all of those options.

“Checo is in the hot seat at the moment and will obviously will be keen to extend.

“We’ll see how Daniel does, we’ll see how Yuki does and in the background, we’ll see what Liam’s capable of in the test and reserve role.”