Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says it would be “ideal” if Max Verstappen’s future teammate could come from the current group of drivers the team has.
Sergio Perez has struggled with the team in 2023, once again beaten by the supreme Verstappen and winning just two races in what is arguably the most dominant car of recent years.
Meanwhile, the Dutch driver has won 13 races and is aiming for his third world championship.
Perez’s contract expires at the end of 2024 and the wheels are already in place to try to find a replacement.
Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri endured a difficult 2023 season, struggling with car performance and using three different driver combinations following Nyck de Vries’ inconsistency and injury to Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement.
However, they currently have three very talented drivers in Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda and reserve driver Liam Lawson, all of whom hope to have the chance to replace Perez on the front row ahead of the 2025 season. Speaking to Sky Sports, Horner said he would prioritize this group of drivers before looking elsewhere.
He explained:
“Max is playing at a level where his confidence, his commitment, his talent are absolute and it’s hard to imagine anyone beating him in the same equipment.
“But there is great talent and of course what we want is the two best riders we can field.”
“So ideally it would come from the talent pool that we have, and if we think there isn’t that capacity, we’ll look externally to see who is available.”
Lawson’s performance in particular has caught the attention of many this season, as he replaced Ricciardo after the Australian broke his arm during the Dutch Grand Prix.
Since then, Lawson has performed well in the three races he has driven, including in Singapore, where he took his first points in F1, finishing ninth. Those two points equate to almost half the total points AlphaTauri has collected all season, such are their struggles, and he will be a little disappointed when the team announces he will only be a driver reserve next season.
Horner said of Lawson:
“There are no guarantees in life. He did really well, he really impressed us.
“He did exactly what we could have asked by taking the opportunity in Daniel’s absence to really show his ability. That turned some heads and it brought Lots of good things for him. “We will continue to develop him as he returns to that test and reserve role and he will certainly be a candidate for 2025.”
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