Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has poured cold water on recent claims made by Helmut Marko that reserve driver Liam Lawson is guaranteed a seat in Formula 1 next season.
Last week, in an interview with Austria’s Kleine Zeitung, Marko said that Lawson “will certainly be in one of our cars next year”, a seemingly clear indication that Lawson will be racing with Visa Cash App RB in 2025 in place of Daniel Ricciardo.
However, the talented Kiwi has also been touted as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing if the Mexican fails to regain his footing in the back half of the 2024 season.
Time is pressing for Red Bull to make a call on Lawson’s future as it must exercise an option on the the 22-year-old’s services that is set to expire in September. Red Bull’s failure to do so will see Lawson become a free agent on the F1 driver market.
But at Zandvoort on Friday, in an interview with Sky F1, Horner clarified Marko’s comments and suggested that no guarantees had been provided to Lawson regarding a seat with either of Red Bull’s teams in 2025.
“Nothing is fixed,” the Red Bull team boss stated. “If we don't take up the option on Liam, then he's a free driver for 2025.
“So we've got specific time periods within drivers' contracts where that becomes prevalent.
“So yes, I checked with Helmut, his comment earlier, and he said ‘No, I didn't say which car, he just said a drive'.”
According to Horner, Marko’s comment alluded to the possibility of Red Bull lending Lawson to another team.
Meanwhile, the focus remains on Perez, who is under massive pressure to deliver better results as Red Bull aims to secure another constructors' championship.
The team's lead in the competition has shrunk to 42 points, which Horner attributes to the fact that only Max Verstappen has been consistently delivering strong performances.
“That's because we haven't had both cars up there,” he said of the team's reduced advantage. “We're aware of that.
“We've taken engine penalties, we've had DNFs. We're very clear on what we need to do and turn around, and I'm confident we will. It is about performance.
“For us, we've got the two drivers that we believe, in our pool of drivers, are the most capable of giving us the best results.
“If there was a doubt in that, then we would have changed it.”
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Addressing the possibility of replacing Perez if his form does not improve, Horner mentioned that Red Bull have all the necessary data on their drivers.
“We have all the data from all of the drivers. So we have that information,” he said. “If we felt that there was something better, we would have changed it by now.
“We believe what we have is capable of defending the championship; it finished first and second in last year's championship; it finished first and third in the year before; and, obviously won in ‘21 as well.”
While speculation continues about potential changes in the Red Bull driver lineup, Horner defended Perez, urging patience and support.
“You're very quick to condemn Sergio,” he added. “We're trying our hardest to give him the chance to rediscover that form.
“He's a driver that's capable of bouncing back, and we're giving him our full support, and want to see him respond.”
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