Sergio Perez replacement gets huge F1 endorsement as Red Bull mull their options

09 January 2024 , 16:10

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Sergio Perez is fighting for his Red Bull future this year (Image: Getty Images)

A Formula 1 great thinks Liam Lawson is "bloody amazing" as he lent his voice to calls for the New Zealander to be given a full-time race seat.

Lawson has just five races of F1 experience under his belt after standing in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo for a spell last year. But he did enough during that time to convince many that he has what it takes to compete in the sport.

Alas, the 21-year-old will have to be patient. Red Bull considered giving him a seat with their sister team for the upcoming 2024 campaign but, in the end, Helmut Marko opted to continue with Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda.

There may well be a spot that opens up for Lawson soon, though. Sergio Perez is under pressure at the main Red Bull team and may even be replaced mid-season if he cannot improve his performances, which would likely lead to Ricciardo being promoted to fill the Mexican's seat.

Such a turn of events would almost certainly see Lawson promoted from his reserve role to a race seat. And, even if it doesn't happen mid-season, it is likely the New Zealander will find his way onto the grid for the 2025 campaign.

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Now former AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost was initially sceptical about Lawson's talents, according to new CEO Peter Bayer. But the Austrian told Speedcafe how the youngster was given endorsements by young driver chief Marko and 10-time F1 race-winner Gerhard Berger which led to Red Bull snapping him up.

Bayer said: "For me, the main impulse came through Gerhard, who said that when Liam was doing DTM he was bloody amazing. Gerhard is a big fan of Liam's racing style. He said, 'He's the one. He's going for the gap, and he's fast'. Helmut was also very convinced by his natural speed but Franz was initially a bit sceptical. He said, 'Looking at his results, I'm not sure'.

"If you purely look at the results, he wouldn't be a standout driver. But he has done a lot of racing, and in different categories, and again and again he was showing there was a spark. Helmut was 100 percent [sure], 'That's the guy'. Franz, Christian [Horner, Red Bull boss] and I had a long discussion, and that's how Liam got the reserve role."

Lawson first stepped in for Ricciardo at Zandvoort last year at very short notice, after the Aussie broke a bone in his left hand in a practice crash. The fact AlphaTauri at the time still had a car which was struggling to compete for points made his task even harder.

But the New Zealander still managed impressive drives to 13th and 11th in the Netherlands and at Monza, before producing what was the team's best result of the season so far in Singapore, when upgrades gave the team a boost. He followed that up with another 11th-placed finish in Japan before signing off with his only underwhelming performance on a difficult night at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Daniel Moxon