For the last couple of months, Sergio Perez has come under a lot of pressure due to a lack in his performance. A number of drivers were speculated to replace him in the Austrian team. According to the latest reports, Daniel Ricciardo is the favorite for Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez as early as midway through the 2024 season.
Before the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix which took place earlier this year, Sergio Perez crashed his RB19 during qualifying. This saw him start at the back of the grid on a track where it is almost impossible to overtake in the modern Formula 1 car.
Since that incident, the Mexican driver has lacked confidence in the car. For a while, he struggled to qualify in the top 10. He had to slowly build back his confidence in the car. Even still, he has not been able to match the pace of his teammate, Max Verstappen. Now Lawrence Baretto believes that Perez could be replaced well before the 2024 season is over.
🚨 As per @lawrobarretto Daniel Ricciardo is the favoured option to replace Checo mid-season in 2024 or at the end of 2024 if required
[@F1] pic.twitter.com/qOtqFRGYI9
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 30, 2023
While Perez has been struggling for pace, Max Verstappen has taken an enormous lead in the Championship and will most likely win it before the Qatar Grand Prix. Red Bull has already won the 2023 WCC last race in Japan.
Red Bull’s junior team has undergone a lot of changes this season. They started with a lineup Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda. Nyck de Vries was replaced by the veteran, Daniel Ricciardo after just 12 races.
The Australian drove in 2 races, before his third race, he suffered a fracture on his wrist. He was replaced by Liam Lawson who has been racing in Super Formula this year. He is also the reserve driver for AlpahTauri and Red Bull. Liam Lawson proved to be strong on the AlphaTauri. After just 2 races, he scored his first points in Formula 1.
Sergio Perez vs. Liam Lawson: Who would AlphaTauri pick?
If Daniel Ricciardo replaces Sergio Perez next season, there will be an empty seat in AlphaTauri. This begs the question, would AlphaTauri pick Sergio Perez over Liam Lawson?
Liam Lawson has been having a strong season so far. After just 3 races, he has outscored Nyck de Vries who drove 12 races for the team. There is no doubt that Liam Lawson is proving to be a strong contender for a Formula 1 seat.
The Mexican driver has had a long and successful career in Formula 1. Although he has not won a Championship, he has been consistently performing even before he arrived at Red Bull. However, he is well past his prime.
“He’ll be a candidate for 2025”
Christian Horner says there’s ‘no guarantee’s in life’ but that Liam Lawson’s impressive performances have turned some heads 👏 pic.twitter.com/BlAG1IEg2W
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 29, 2023
Liam Lawson on the other hand seems to be a driver with a huge future. He has driven in just 4 races and he is already able to match the pace of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. This is pretty impressive as Nyck de Vries was not able to do so over 12 races. Although he is a rookie in Formula 1, Nyck is an experienced racer who has won the Formula 2 and Formula E Championships.
Red Bull will be looking for someone who will be racing for them in the future. Sergio Perez is well past his prime and will probably even retire after leaving Red Bull. Even if Daniel Ricciardo replaces Sergio Perez in the team, the Aussie will not be the number 1 driver and won’t be with the team for long. Yuki Tsunoda could leave the Red Bull family and go to Aston Martin as Honda will be providing power units to the team from the 2026 season onwards.
This leaves Liam Lawson as the only option for Red Bull for their future. Not just to replace Daniel Ricciardo, but maybe even to replace Max Verstappen who has a contract until the 2028 season.
