Helmut Marko Confident - Liam Lawson 'Will Be Sitting In One Of Our Cars' In 2025

A promising update from Helmut Marko confirms that Liam Lawson will secure a seat within the Red Bull family for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Visa Cash App RB looks on in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 20, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) / Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has given another update on Liam Lawson's future in Formula 1, claiming "he'll be sitting in one of our cars."

The New Zealander made his impressive F1 debut a year ago at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix when he stepped in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo. After showing great promise during his stint standing in for the Australian driver, many believed he had done enough to secure a full-time seat for the 2024 season, however, both Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda extended their contracts with VCARB.

Recently, speculation about Lawson's future has intensified, with rumors suggesting that he might move to another team due to perceived delays from Red Bull in finalizing his position. However, these speculations were swiftly dismissed by Marko as mere "hot air."

In a definitive statement aimed at quashing these rumors, Marko confirmed that Lawson would be securing a seat within the Red Bull family for the next racing year. He explained to Kleine Zeitung:

"Next year he'll be sitting in one of our cars." [Translated by Google]

Commenting on the timeline for this decision, Marko previously noted:

"There will be a decision in September."

Tsunoda has already secured a contract extension with VCARB for next year, however, Ricciardo's current contract expires at the end of 2024. There had been speculation ahead of the F1 summer break that the eight-time Grand Prix winner could be replaced mid-season by Lawson, however, Red Bull later reiterated that this would not be the case.

There have also been rumors surrounding Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver signed a two-year contract extenion earlier in the season, on a one-plus-one year basis. Despite this, it was speculated that Perez could also face being replaced part way through the year if he did not meet certain performance criteria.

2024 F1 Driver Standings Ahead of Dutch Grand Prix

1. Max Verstappen - 277 points
2. Lando Norris - 199 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 177 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 167 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 162 points
6. Lewis Hamilton - 150 points
7. Sergio Perez - 131 points
8. George Russell - 116 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 49 points
10. Lance Stroll - 24 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 22 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
14. Oliver Bearman - 6 points
15. Pierre Gasly - 6 points
16. Kevin Magnussen - 5 points
17. Esteban Ocon - 5 points
18. Alex Albon - 4 points
19. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
20. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
21. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points