Just one month after Sergio Perez secured a two-year contract extension with Red Bull, his Formula 1 future seems to be unravelling.
Performance clauses are putting Perez at risk of losing his seat in a near future, as the grid becomes more and more competitive.
The Mexican has scored just 11 points in the four grands prix since his new deal was announced – fewer than Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg or Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and far behind Max Verstappen’s tally of 86. What’s more, he is yet to outqualify his team-mate this season.
While Red Bull previously could afford for Perez to lag behind Verstappen, that is no longer the case with McLaren and Mercedes catching up in the constructors’ championship. The Milton Keynes-based outfit currently deems its driver’s form “unsustainable” and is reconsidering his position.
Key to Perez’s odds might be a seemingly innocuous filming day which Red Bull will run next week at Silverstone with arguably its hottest young prospect, Liam Lawson, in the car.
Although the team will have to use demonstration tyres, Lawson will be able to drive the RB20 over a maximum of 200km, which corresponds to 33 laps of the Silverstone grand prix layout.
This will give the team an opportunity to assess his ability, as it did with Daniel Ricciardo in more favourable circumstances a year ago – it was then a Pirelli test, so mileage was not limited and tyre compounds were in line with what might be used on a grand prix weekend.
Ricciardo and Tsunoda are failing to make an impact
Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, Yuki Tsunoda, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, during the driver presentation
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
It might seem surprising that Lawson is viewed as a credible candidate for a Red Bull seat after he was overlooked for an RB drive this year, with Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda retaining their positions.
Red Bull was hoping that one of them would show their credentials by clearly gaining the upper hand over the other, but it hasn’t happened so far – although Tsunoda has the advantage, having scored 20 points to Ricciardo’s 11 (but only 13 to 11 since the Australian got a new chassis in China) and leading 10-5 in their qualifying head-to-head.
Red Bull is therefore turning its attention to Lawson. The 22-year-old New Zealander has enjoyed success at every level, with his early achievements comprising a runner-up spot in ADAC F4 ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi and Frederik…
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