Formula 1: Two teams have open seats, and there could be a third

Liam Lawson was recently officially confirmed as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement at RB for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season, shortly after the Singapore Grand Prix.

The move was an interesting one, as there are just six races remaining on the 24-race schedule. However, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have had a growing level of impatience with Ricciardo due to his consistent underperformance, with the latter having reportedly wanted him out after the Spanish Grand Prix several months ago.

There seems to be a growing belief that Sergio Perez could be replaced at Red Bull heading into next season as well, as the Mexican driver has been underperforming for quite a long time. He has not been meeting the performance clauses in his contract, and Max Verstappen has severely outperformed him.

Though the 34-year-old recently quashed rumors that he would be announcing his retirement during Mexico City Grand Prix weekend in late October, rumors that also emerged before last year's race, Red Bull could end up dropping Perez without much warning, the same way they did with Ricciardo.

What Red Bull want from Lawson

In a recent interview, Horner discussed how putting Lawson in the car is not just for RB, but for the entire Red Bull team. Such a statement gives fans a hint that Red Bull’s lineup could look different next season as well, even though the Red Bull team boss also mentioned that Perez is still under contract with the team through 2026.

If Lawson does have a chance to get the promotion heading into 2025, the next six races will be very crucial. Ideally, Horner and Marko would want good pace from the Kiwi driver, either battling or outperforming Yuki Tsunoda, and potentially even finishing higher than Perez from time to time.

It is worth mentioning that RB, along with Sauber, still have an open seat for the 2025 season. So although Lawson has been confirmed by the team for the remainder of the 2024 season, they have yet to confirm his landing spot for next year. Could that also indicate that Perez's Red Bull seat remains in play, even with Perez still under contract?

Unless Perez performs at a higher level going forward, Red Bull are almost certain to lose second place in the constructor championship to Ferrari. Having won the title the last two seasons, they would ideally want to reclaim it in 2025, the final year of the current era of regulations. A lineup of Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson could be their best bet to do that in the RB21.