F1 Rumour: Sergio Perez Red Bull Future Questioned After Liam Lawson RB20 Test

Saajan Jogia | Jul 7, 2024

Jun 8, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (MEX) in the pit lane at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson’s scheduled test session in the RB20 at Silverstone on Thursday has raised new questions about Sergio Perez’s position at Red Bull, despite his multi-year contract extension signed in June. This has only intensified after a poor showing from the Mexican driver this weekend at the British Grand Prix.

Lawson, who impressed both the paddock and fans last year with his reserve driver role for Daniel Ricciardo and points-scoring performances, has increased his standing in the driver market. The 22-year-old will take to the 2024 Red Bull car next week for a filming day.

According to a report by Motorsport.com, this could be a test to see if Lawson could be a suitable replacement for Perez. Last year, around the same time, Ricciardo displayed his skill during a Pirelli tire test at Silverstone. The impressive run convinced Red Bull to replace him with Nyck De Vries at VCARB, formerly known as AlphaTauri.

The rumors about Perez’s future are fuelled by his lackluster performance this season, which has seen him fall 119 points behind Max Verstappen. As Verstappen celebrates seven wins out of eleven races, Perez has yet to secure his first victory of the year.

Compounding the issues for Perez, his recent qualifying performances have been disappointing, including a Q1 elimination at Silverstone that placed him 19th on the grid. In terms of race results, he has not finished higher than P7 in the last five races and has endured two DNFs.

Following the announcement of Lawson’s planned filming day, fresh speculation has arisen about whether the Kiwi could be a contender for the role of Verstappen’s next teammate. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner acknowledged the gap in performance between the two Red Bull drivers and emphasized the importance of fighting as a team. He told Sky F1 at Silverstone:

“This is a sport where there's no hiding, particularly with Max Verstappen as your team-mate.

“He knows he's being measured against the very best and we need him up there supporting Max because there's two McLarens now, there's two Ferraris, and there's two Mercedes. We need there to be desperately two Red Bulls.”