Red Bull looks set to make significant changes to its driver line-up for 2025, with Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar poised for major promotions within the structure of the brand's two F1 teams.
Sergio Perez's future with Red Bull remains more than uncertain despite his repeated assertions of having a "contract" during his media sessions on Thursday. Speculation is rife that Perez will be ousted after the Abu Dhabi GP, with Bild newspaper reporting that his father, Antonio Perez Garibay, is threatening to release a "list of lying journalists" on Monday in response to ongoing rumours.
While Perez's exit seems increasingly likely, Lawson has emerged as the favourite to take the seat alongside Max Verstappen.
"Honestly, I have no idea," the 22-year-old New Zealander, Lawson, said in Abu Dhabi. "I hope to find out soon and I hope they don't drag it out for too long. It would be pretty frustrating to not know anything by next week. I don't know if I have a seat at all."
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko, though, has made his preference for Lawson clear, highlighting the young driver's strong performance compared to others speculated about recently.
"Liam Lawson has done much better than (Franco) Colapinto," Marko told the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung. "Somehow that seems to go unnoticed."
If Lawson steps up to the senior team, it will create a vacancy at RB, Red Bull's junior outfit. Marko has already strongly indicated that Formula 2 frontrunner Isack Hadjar is his top choice to partner Yuki Tsunoda in 2025.
"Hadjar is only half a point behind the leader in Formula 2," Marko said. "So there will be a lot of juniors driving in Formula 1 next year.
"Oliver Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto—there will be a huge number of juniors, which is very good."
Beyond Lawson and Hadjar, Marko is also keeping a close eye on Arvid Lindblad, a 17-year-old British-born Swedish driver who he believes is a rising star. Recent reports suggest Red Bull is preparing a program under the 'TPC' testing rules to give Lindblad experience in a 2023-spec car next year.
"He is definitely our greatest (new) talent," Marko said of Lindblad. "He is definitely the one who is pushing himself from the back to the front of the queue with his performances." body check tags ::
