In the back and forth between Red Bull and its sister team VCARB, Liam Lawson has found himself in a tight spot. Serving as the reserve driver for both the squads, Lawson has been waiting for his Formula 1 debut since 2022. And he got his big break in F1 when Daniel Ricciardo had to tag out of a few races last year. The New Zealander substituted for Ricciardo and his performance, especially at the Singapore GP ’23, amazed the Red Bull stakeholders. Ever since then, it has been a rumor that Liam Lawson will take up a spot at the Racing Bulls soon.

Pulling a surprising move on the fans, Helmut Marko and his team decided to recruit Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB for 2024. Now, speculations are rising that if Red Bull removes Sergio Perez due to his poor form, Ricciardo will get that spot in the next season and Lawson will replace the Aussie. In fact, the former F2 podium holder is set to appear at a test drive at the end of this week where Red Bull will record his speed while driving the AlphaTauri AT03. But even before Liam Lawson’s hopes for an F1 seat could rise up, Sergio Perez has played a masterstroke.

As per the Italian Motorsport, Perez’s exit from RBR would have opened the window for Lawson’s F1 entry. But the Mexican has taken the help of his country’s richest man, Carlos Slim, to cling on to his Red Bull seat. Slim has a net worth of $84 billion, and his backing is enough to stop Christian Horner’s army from dropping Checo. Thus, it looks like Liam Lawson will once again have to sit out the F1 season in 2025. However, his contract with Red Bull states that if the team doesn’t give him a 2025 seat, he can become a free agent by leaving them.

What’s more interesting is the clause, that allows Lawson to exit the Red Bull umbrella, will expire in September of this year. Red Bull might remove Daniel Ricciardo and give his seat to Liam Lawson since the Honey Badger has not been performing well either. Unfortunately, it seems like Ricciardo has hijacked this plan for Liam Lawson–but how?

Red Bull confirms crucial decision regarding Liam Lawson’s future

Liam Lawson is no stranger to the operations at the VCARB garage. The 22-year-old raced for the team last year and had even brought 2 Championship points. Thus, Red Bull might give him the seat that Daniel Ricciardo currently occupies. The Honey Badger has scored only 12 points against his teammate Yuki Tsunoda‘s 22. Naturally, replacing Ricciardo mid-season might improve the results of Red Bull’s sister team.

Still, it seems like Daniel Ricciardo will remain in VCARB till the end of this season. Reports have emerged quoting Helmut Marko: “Perez [is] staying. We want him to get his old form back. Ricciardo will also stay; nothing will change. But the cards for 2025 will be shuffled again.” This comment from the octagenarian has proven the fact that Liam Lawson is not getting into Formula 1 anytime soon.

But one thing that stands out in Helmut Marko’s remark is that the “cards for 2025 will be shuffled again”, which might mean that Max Verstappen will get a new teammate next year. So, 8-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo or F1 rookie Liam Lawson–who will be the lucky guy to replace Sergio Perez? What do you think? Share below.