Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Friday December 13, 2024 at 9:25 p.m.
If Red Bull Racing were to do without the services of Sergio Pérez, Christian Horner has admitted that Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda will be serious candidates to replace him.
Christian Horner does not intend to look elsewhere. After a 2024 season which saw Max Verstappen win his fourth world champion title but the Red Bull Racing team finish in third place among the constructors, the future of Sergio Pérez is conditional. While the Mexican can point to the fact that he extended his contract for two more seasons earlier this year, his lack of performance has been a drag for the Milton Keynes-based team. If the ejection seat were to be activated during the winter, the solutions to replace “Checo” Pérez will be limited to the drivers currently linked to the Red Bull group playing in Formula 1. In other words, this coveted seat would be played between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, who finished the season with the Racing Bulls team. In any case, this is what Christian Horner suggested in comments collected by the official F1 website. “In complicated circumstances, Liam Lawson did a very good job,” said the Red Bull Racing team boss. If you analyze what he was able to do in a limited time and the pace he was able to race, I think he did a good job. »
For Horner, there is “no urgency”
“I think Yuki Tsunoda also did a good job,” he also said during this interview. So, in the event that a decision is made regarding Sergio Pérez, they would be the candidates that we can consider. » The British leader does not hide it, “there will be discussions between Checo and the team” in the coming weeks in order to decide what the future of their relationship would be. “Now that the season is over, we're going to sit down with him and look back on the season which obviously didn't go well,” he added. Finding a collective solution is the best thing to do. » Nevertheless, Christian Horner assures that there “is no urgency” to make a choice concerning the Mexican's future. If this were any indication of a decision to be made, Liam Lawson's name does not appear on the first version of the entry list for the 2025 F1 season for the Racing Bulls team, unlike Yuki Tsunoda. Which could suggest that the New Zealander would have a head start in this matter. Such a move could then open the door for a certain Isack Hadjar to join the team based in Faenza.
