19/08/2024
NEWS STORY
Helmut Marko has said that Red Bull's plans for Liam Lawson in 2025 will be revealed next month.
Amidst the uncertainty over Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo, the New Zealander has been linked with both Red Bull and RB in recent months.
However, with both teams appearing to have settled their line-ups for the remainder of the season, the focus switches to next season and beyond.
Following the Belgian Grand Prix, the youngster was said to be taking part in a 'shoot-out' with Ricciardo at Imola in a 2022 AlphaTauri. However, on the day after the race, following a high-level meeting, it was decided that Perez would retain his seat and consequently the 'shoot-out' was scrapped and instead Lawson drove the AlphaTauri as part of a filming day, whilst Ricciardo carried out duties in the RB with teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Amidst the speculation over what is happening with Lawson, in his latest column for Speedweek, Helmut Marko writes: "We will announce how to proceed with Liam in September.
"Sergio Perez will continue to sit in the Red Bull car after the summer break, because races are now going to tracks on which he was good last year and we are betting on stability," added the Austrian.
"He also performed well recently, and he was very quick on Saturday at the last race weekend in Spa," he continued. "He started from second and, according to the calculations, third place would have been possible.
"But we have seen that the tyres have broken down significantly more with him. He couldn't push and there was also the fact that we only had two sets of medium tyres and a set of hard available, while the competition had two sets of hard and one set of medium tyres. That may have been a crucial point.
"Perez doesn't have to get faster, but more consistent," he insisted. "And given the alternatives, he is still our best solution."
Referring to claims that Perez has been retained because Liberty Media wants him in the car for his home race, Marko stated: "Our driver selection is not based on Liberty's intentions."
Liberty's intentions aside, it is claimed that a September decision on Lawson is due to the youngster having a clause in his contract that will allow him to look elsewhere if his 2025 plans are not agreed by that time.
"It's a tough time for someone like Liam, especially as he jumped into the car under very, very difficult circumstances and did very well," Marko subsequently told ESPN. "We rate him high and he will get his chance. Just wait. September, you will have an answer."