Lawson tipped to ‘keep Verstappen honest’ in potential Red Bull swap

Liam Lawson has been backed to keep Max Verstappen “honest” if he is promoted to Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez.

The Kiwi was drafted in at RB as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement for the final six rounds of the season, but does not have a confirmed seat for 2025.

It is believed he is being evaluated at RB for a potential promotion to the senior Red Bull team to replace Perez, whose under-performances have put Red Bull’s constructors’ championship in jeopardy. 

Since the Emilia Romagna GP, Perez has scored just 47 points in 13 races, and has not finished higher than sixth since April’s Chinese GP, with the Mexican expected to lose his seat. 

Former F1 racer and 1992 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Mark Blundell believes Lawson would be the best bet for Red Bull.

“If I was sitting there as team principal at the moment, I’d have to be questioning the results that I’m getting consistently from Perez,” Blundell told AceOdds.

“I’d then try to understand what the value of Perez is inside the team because I think there is some commercial value attached to him, but I’d still probably be leaning towards: ‘I need to nurture the next generation of talent for the benefit of the team.’

“I also think that the next generation of talent will help me drive the team forward and get the best out of my other driver who is a world champion and keep him honest. 

“I’d lean towards putting Lawson in that car.”