Red Bull F1 hopeful Liam Lawson 'underwhelms' amid Sergio Perez troubles

Red Bull

Red Bull hopeful ‘underwhelms’ amid Perez troubles

Has he missed out on a huge opportunity?

Rhys Thomas

Saturday 13 July 2024 17:57

One of the candidates to replace Sergio Perez should Red Bull opt to axe the Mexican driver has reportedly failed to impress during a recent test.

Perez has struggled against Max Verstappen since joining Red Bull, but those inconsistencies have been exacerbated in 2024 with rivals close enough to take advantage of the performance gap between the pair.

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Though Perez recently extended his contract at the Milton Keynes outfit, it is seemingly littered with performance clauses which could mean it is broken as early as the upcoming summer break.

If Red Bull are to move in that direction, they will of course need to line up a replacement, and one candidate's credentials may have taken a hit at a recent test drive.

Sergio Perez has had a disastrous 2024 season so far

Max Verstappen has outclassed most of his F1 team-mates over the years

Test driver 'underwhelms' against Verstappen benchmark

Perez's abject qualifying form has seen him regularly over half a second off the pace of Verstappen.

Advocates of dumping the 34-year-old have argued a replacement driver could hardly perform worse, given Perez has only collected 15 points from the last six events.

If Christian Horner is to make a change, one of their options is youngster Liam Lawson, who stepped in at Visa Cash App RB when Daniel Ricciardo was injured last season.

However, F1 journalist Thomas Maher has suggested the New Zealand national has not been able to match the times Red Bull would want to see in a recent test.

“If he can’t handle the ignominy of a mid-season demotion, or decides to press on with a fresh environment elsewhere, Red Bull are hardly stuck for choice – Liam Lawson is waiting in the wings, while Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar is making 'a strong case for himself' as he leads the Formula 2 Championship," he wrote.

Might Liam Lawson have blown his chance at the Red Bull seat?

“However, my understanding is that Lawson’s filming day times slightly underwhelmed Red Bull – his quickest benchmark time being two-tenths off the time earmarked as Verstappen’s benchmark from the weekend."

Red Bull would not expect Lawson to match Verstappen's times, but meet a slightly slower target, presumably faster than what Perez has managed at recent races.

“His chances of securing a seat with either Red Bull team may thus come down to how Perez fares in the last two races before the summer break," Maher added.

Ricciardo is also an option, although he has not found consistency since his return to the Red Bull family in 2023.

VCARB Team-mate Yuki Tsunoda seems likely to continue with the Red Bull family following a new contract, whilst an indecisive Carlos Sainz does not appear to be under consideration.