Ricciardo or Lawson: who should Red Bull appoint if Perez is replaced?

Lawson's appointment a perfect fit for Red Bull Racing

Liam Lawson (22) has not had much luck in his career. For example, who doesn't remember that hugely crazy moment in DTM in '21, when Lawson seemed to be on his way to the title? However, a hugely inconsiderate move by Kelvin van der Linde caused Lawson to crash out in the final race and thus see the championship go through his nose. Or take the season in Japanese Super Formula, in which Lawson was the main title contender for a long time - only to ultimately fall short of the top prize.

Nor was the New Zealander lucky in '23, after convincingly replacing Daniel Ricciardo five Grands Prix on. Instead of giving Lawson a permanent place at Visa Cash App RB, Red Bull decided to relegate him back to the reserve bench, where he has sat ever since. Still, there is no doubt that Lawson can seriously accelerate, it's just that he has never had the chance to show that over a longer period in Formula 1.

So time for a bit of luck in his career! Should Perez be sent away by Red Bull Racing, now is the time to finally reward the New Zealander for his unwavering patience and perseverance. Of course, it remains to be seen how a relatively inexperienced driver will fare against Verstappen. But no doubt it is not going to be all that much worse than Perez.

Besides, there are only ten Grand Prix weekends left this season. An ideal test period, then: if Lawson is convincing, he can stay on for '25. If things do not turn out as hoped, Ricciardo, for instance, could still be transferred from VCARB. Lawson will then have had the chance.

In any case, an appointment of Lawson at Red Bull would fit exactly with what the team has always stood for. For years, Red Bull was the equipe of unconventional choices - see putting Verstappen in the car at the age of 18. Giving an inexperienced Lawson the chance would be a fine continuation of that.

Ludo van Denderen

Ricciardo is the sensible choice for Red Bull Racing

With 10 Grands Prix to go, the main issue is what Red Bull Racing needs. If it wants to replace Sergio Perez, the driver must meet three requirements: 1) faster than Perez in qualifying and therefore closer to Verstappen, 2) proven ability to achieve results and 3) proven ability to perform under high pressure.

Looking at those points, Ricciardo is the most logical choice. He is proven fast in qualifying and certainly an upgrade over Perez in that respect. The Australian has also proved over the years that he can maximise, although that has diminished since his departure from Red Bull.

Still, the latter point is what gives Ricciardo the edge over Lawson. Ricciardo knows exactly where he is stepping in. He knows the team and, perhaps more importantly, he knows Verstappen. Ricciardo gets on well with Verstappen, but more importantly he knows how good Max is. After all, it was the reason for Ricciardo's departure at the end of 2018.

The fact that Ricciardo is now open to a return also shows that he is now ready for that role as second fiddle. Where he ran away from that situation at the end of 2018, he is now willingly walking towards it. He knows better than anyone what kind of pressure Helmut Marko and Christian Horner provide, but Ricciardo, speaking to GPblog earlier, indicated that the pressure actually makes him better, and he actually missed that pressure at other teams.

Lawson might also be able to handle that pressure, but that is not certain. That would be a gamble for Red Bull. From Ricciardo, you know what you get and Ricciardo knows what to expect. For what Red Bull needs at the moment, that seems to be Red Bull Racing's wisest choice. The fact that Horner is his great friend might also help.

Tim Kraaij