Formula 1: 3 emergency Red Bull replacements for Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez's position at Red Bull has been a major talking point throughout the 2024 Formula 1 season, just as it was last year.

Rumors swirled about the possibility of him announcing his retirement before last year's Mexican Grand Prix, but he returned for 2024, and further rumors of his departure were silenced by the recent announcement of a new two-year contract extension.

However, his disappointing performances have once again raised questions about his future, perhaps even his immediate future, with the Milton Keynes-based team.

The 34-year-old Mexican started the year with six straight top five finishes, including three runner-up results and a further podium finish. In the six races since then, he has recorded zero top six finishes and scored points on just three occasions.

One of the major reasons for the concerns surrounding Perez, beyond the speed comparison to world championship-leading teammate Max Verstappen, is his lackluster points haul. Additionally, his qualifying crash at Silverstone further highlights his recent struggles. 

If Perez's struggles continue, Red Bull and team principal Christian Horner could turn to their driver pool for a replacement for the rest of the season. Here are three possibilities.

Daniel Ricciardo 

The return of Daniel Ricciardo at this stage may be considered a surprising choice, given some of the shortcomings pertaining to his own performance.

However, his past experience as Verstappen's teammate and the ease of a promotion make him a viable option for the team, and it would be exactly what he was looking for when he rejoined the organization last year.

Liam Lawson

According to Formula 1 journalist Lawrence Barretto, Red Bull are reportedly interested in including Liam Lawson in their 2025 driver lineup, irrespective of any mid-season changes in 2024.

Promoting a young driver such as Lawson would be a gamble, but his impressive performance filling in for an injured Ricciardo at RB (formerly AlphaTauri) last season makes him a tempting option.

However, if Ricciardo returns to Red Bull, the door could still be open for Lawson to take his place at RB, where a strong showing by could put him in contention for the second Red Bull seat, or perhaps another seat elsewhere on the grid, in 2025.

Yuki Tsunoda

Despite Yuki Tsunoda's recent contract extension with AlphaTauri, there are still rumors that Red Bull may be considering a driver swap across their teams and that the Japanese driver could factor into those potential changes.

Tsunoda could be promoted to the Red Bull seat vacated by Perez while Lawson could replace him at AlphaTauri, and if the team want to move on from Ricciardo as well, current Formula 2 championship leader Isack Hadjar could join the Kiwi.