The frontrunner to be Sergio Perez's replacement emerges as Liam Lawson's Red Bull test details surface: Reports

As per recent reports, Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull if the latter fails to improve his performance in the upcoming races. Lawson's recent test with the defending world champions has apparently sent out enough positive signals for the team to consider the move.

Perez started the 2024 F1 season strongly, staying close to his teammate Max Verstappen in the championship table. However, Perez's pace and placings have plummeted after the Miami GP.

Perez barely finished in the top 10 there and then retired from two races, in Monaco and Canada. Most recently, he scored zero points in the British GP, while Verstappen managed to finish second despite a subpar qualifying.

Even though Perez recently extended his contract with Red Bull, several reports claim that he could be replaced soon if he fails to improve in the next few races before the summer break. According to The Race, Liam Lawson is the one who could sit in Checo's seat.

Lawson made his F1 debut in 2023, substituting Daniel Ricciardo after he suffered an arm injury in the Dutch GP, Ricciardo himself having returned to F1 to replace the struggling Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri.

Lawson impressed observers and Red Bull with his performance in the five GPs that he raced in while Ricciardo recovered. Since then, he has been working with the Austrian team as a reserve driver.

Most recently, the Kiwi took part in a filming day test with Red Bull at Silverstone, after the British GP. Despite a distance cap of 200km and academy tires from Pirelli, his test results were commendable. He was only a few tenths of a second off of Verstappen's times around the circuit during the race weekend, the difference comparable to that between Verstappen and Perez's race performances from the first half of the season.

As per the report, Red Bull also believe that Lawson could perform better than some of Verstappen's earlier teammates, particularly because of his pace and self-confidence.

---

Sergio Perez believes Red Bull would not axe him till his contract ends

While the rumors surrounding Sergio Perez have increased in recent times, the Mexican said that he is sure the team would not replace him, regardless of his performance in the next two races, which are followed by the summer break. He strongly believes that he will not be removed from Red Bull until his contract expires.

Spanish journalist Tomás Slafer quoted him as saying:

“I don't understand why there is so much talk about me and my future. Nothing is going to change these two weekends, even if I win the race or even if I finish last. I have a contract with the team and I am going to fulfill it.”

After the British GP, where Perez finished P17, he stands in sixth place in the drivers' championship table with 118 points. Meanwhile, his teammate Max Verstappen leads the table with 255 points.