Christian Horner handed ultimatum by Red Bull driver after Sergio Perez backing
Christian Horner has a made decision to make ahead of the 2025 season after handing Sergio Perez a new contract.
Liam Lawson has told Red Bull and Christian Horner to find him a Formula One seat or he will seek an opportunity elsewhere. The highly-rated star was reportedly frustrated after being snubbed in favour of Daniel Ricciardo for a place at RB last season.
Lawson has raced in only five Grands Prix and has earned 40 career points. However, the 22-year-old has been overlooked for a permanent spot by Red Bull, either alongside Max Verstappen or at sister team RB.
Sergio Perez’s contract extension until 2026 has left Lawson’s Red Bull future up in the air. The youngster has told Horner to find him a seat, or else he will find an F1 role somewhere else.
Asked by talkSPORT about his future, Lawson said: “I have no idea – everything is changing at the moment. There are a lot of drivers moving around.
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“At the moment, I don’t really know where I slot into that, or if I do at all. It’s something that I’m working towards every day at the moment.
“I would love to be with Red Bull in F1. They are the strongest team at the moment. I’ve been with them now, this is my sixth year.
“If I could choose, I would love to be with Red Bull. But obviously, if there’s no seat there, my goal is F1. So that could be anywhere.
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“It’s talked about a lot, it’s being managed. I’m always trying to work on trying to find out where I’m sitting within the team for my future.
“I don’t want to be in F1 because someone is injured. I want to be in F1 because a team chooses for me to be there full-time.”
Helmut Marko appeared to suggest that Lawson fits into Red Bull’s plans as a reserve driver next season. The experienced Austrian, who is Red Bull’s technical advisor, confirmed that Lawson could drive for another team if he does not have a seat in 2025.
“With Liam Lawson as reserve, we have a strong driver who, contractually, can drive for another team if he does not get a seat with us in 2025,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
“In this sense, it would be nice if we could see him in Formula One this year to have a clearer picture, but it is a complex issue. We will have to see how things evolve.”
