Replacing Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson for the 2025 F1 season could backfire if Max Verstappen leaves Red Bull before 2026. PlanetF1.com reports Red Bull is planning to swap Perez for Lawson, with Isack Hadjar moving up to Racing Bulls. The move comes amid speculation that Verstappen might leave, with Mercedes eyeing a potential signing. While Verstappen is contracted until 2028, his deal includes a 'performance element' that could allow an early exit if he falls outside the top three in the standings after a substantial portion of the 2025 season.
Red Bull ’s expected move of replacing Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson could prove “short sighted” if Max Verstappen leaves the team ahead of the F1 2026 season.PlanetF1.com revealed earlier this month that Red Bull were set to replace Perez for the F1 2025 season, with Racing Bulls star Lawson highly likely to become Verstappen’s new team-mate.
Despite being under contract until the end of the F1 2028 season, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told media including PlanetF1.com in August that Verstappen’s contract contains a “performance element”, which could potentially allow him to leave the team before its end date. And he fears Red Bull could be left without an elite driver if Verstappen opts to leave the team within the next 12 months.“The only surprise with the Sergio Perez situation is that it’s taken this long for a decision to be made.
“It will always seem unfair on the driver who missed out on the seat, but I don’t think Yuki Tsunoda or Liam Lawson deserved that Red Bull seat. “But on the other hand, I am also very loyal to my own team and I just feel at home there. So there is actually not much to achieve at the moment.Red Bull passed up the chance to sign Carlos Sainz earlier this year, with the outgoing Ferrari driver agreeing a multi-year contract to join Williams from F1 2025.
Formula 1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Sergio Perez Liam Lawson
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