F1 News: Red Bull Shuts Door To Potential Sergio Perez Replacement - 'Have Three Juniors Ready'

Saajan Jogia | Jul 21, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ferrari driver driver Carlos Sainz (ESP) in the pit lane during the practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has dismissed the possibility of Carlos Sainz being considered for a potential 2025 Red Bull seat if Sergio Perez is dropped from the team. The 81-year-old revealed that the team has three promising juniors in line who are ready for a Formula 1 opportunity.

Following a recent decline in Sergio Perez's performance, which has significantly widened his points gap with Max Verstappen and been compounded by errors and qualifying crashes, reports suggest that Red Bull will decide its future with Perez after the Belgian Grand Prix next weekend.

Sainz, who is set to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton next year, remains relatively relaxed about his options for the upcoming season. In addition to offers from Alpine and Williams, he is reported to have been approached by Sauber/Audi.

However, the Spaniard is most likely considering Mercedes as his top option, although the Toto Wolff-led team is yet to decide if it would place F2 driver Kimi Antonelli or an experienced F1 driver in Hamilton's seat.

Although Sainz was previously linked with a Red Bull return if Perez were to be dropped, Marko has ruled out Sainz as a potential candidate. Speaking to the Austrian publication Kleine Zeitung, he was asked if Red Bull would consider Sainz to become Verstappen’s teammate. He answered:

"I assume that we will primarily make use of our existing drivers.

“We have three juniors who are ready for Formula 1, with Liam Lawson certainly at the top of the list.

“Behind him, there is also Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar.”

Lawson made a strong impression during a five-race stint with VCARB (formerly AlphaTauri) in mid-2023 when he performed reserve driver duties for Daniel Ricciardo. He recently participated in a test at Silverstone in Red Bull's title contender, the RB20.

After Lawson, the next in line is 19-year-old Isack Hadjar, the current leader of the F2 feeder series standings. Hadjar recently participated in an opening practice session for Red Bull at the British Grand Prix.