Leagues

Red Bull Gives Youth a Chance, Promotes Lawson As Pérez Replacement

Red Bull placed third in the constructors’ championship despite Max Verstappen securing the drivers’ championship. Sergio Pérez finished eighth.

By Colin Salao

Dec 17, 2024 | 04:23 pm

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Red Bull is reverting to youth over experience in an attempt to reclaim the constructors’ championship.

Following a third-place finish this year, the team will let go of Sergio Pérez and replace him with Liam Lawson, who will be promoted from sister team RB, according to ESPN. The official announcement about Pérez will be made this week.

Red Bull is waiting for Pérez, 34, to decide whether he wants to remain with the team as an ambassador or leave the company entirely since he is tied to Red Bull after signing a two-year contract extension in May.

The team pivoted to the veteran Pérez following stints with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, who were both 23 when they joined Red Bull. Neither could deliver consistently alongside Max Verstappen, but Pérez helped the team win three consecutive constructors’ championships from 2021 to 2023.

But Pérez’s eighth-place finish this year—285 points behind Verstappen, who won the drivers’ championship—knocked Red Bull from first to third. A team’s final position in the constructors’ championship determines how much prize money it receives, and the difference between each seed in 2023 was about $9 million, according to Autosport.

Lawson took Daniel Ricciardo’s RB seat in the U.S. Grand Prix in October. The 22-year-old New Zealander will join the top Red Bull team despite starting just 11 total races over the last two seasons. If confirmed, Lawson would be selected over Yuki Tsunoda, who has been with RB for four years and out-qualified Lawson in all six races they competed in together this year.

While Lawson may not have had the historical success in lower divisions like George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris, he impressed over a five-race stretch in 2023 when he took over for Ricciardo, who was dealing with a hand injury. Lawson scored his maiden points at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, and famously qualified 10th, one place ahead of Verstappen, who Lawson essentialy knocked out before the final round of qualifying.