Liam Lawson’s Silverstone Test: What It Means for Red Bull’s F1 Future Amid Perez Speculation

Comprehensive details on Liam Lawson's test drive for Red Bull's F1 team at Silverstone

Insights into Liam Lawson's recent test session with Red Bull's latest Formula 1 car at Silverstone.

Red Bull's backup driver Liam Lawson is set to drive their latest Formula 1 car at Silverstone today. Here are the details we have about this event.

Lawson, who gained attention during a five-race stint with AlphaTauri (now known as RB) last season when Daniel Ricciardo was sidelined due to injury, will have the opportunity to test Red Bull's 2024 car at Silverstone in a filming session today.

This event will be the second of Red Bull's two allowed promotional days for the year. Lawson will only be able to cover 200 kilometers, which is about 33 laps of the international circuit used for the British Grand Prix. He will be driving on special Pirelli tires that are different from the ones typically used during a regular grand prix weekend.

There has been a lot of excitement about Lawson's test due to increasing rumors about Sergio Perez's future at Red Bull, following a series of lackluster performances.

The tension around Perez has intensified due to his mere 11 points accrued over the last five races. The 34-year-old racer from Mexico faced a humiliating exit in Q1 at Silverstone and managed only a 17th place finish in the competition.

Perez has not secured a podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix in April and has not won any races this year. Meanwhile, his teammate Max Verstappen has achieved seven wins out of 12 races.

Consequently, Perez has fallen to sixth in the drivers' standings, trailing both McLaren and Ferrari drivers, and is now a significant 137 points behind Verstappen.

Perez not meeting expectations has coincided with a period of significant competition from Red Bull's adversaries in recent races, resulting in the current world champions holding a slim 71-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors' rankings.

Speculation has increased that Red Bull is considering replacing Perez, despite his recent two-year contract extension. Reports suggest that Perez's new deal includes several performance-based clauses that could allow Red Bull to terminate his contract, possibly even within this season.

Perez is left with two opportunities – the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix – to improve his performance before F1 takes its customary summer break in August.

Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are often mentioned as potential replacements for Sergio Perez, given their current roles with Red Bull's affiliate team. However, Ricciardo's inconsistent performance has cast doubts on his future in Formula 1 and whether he would be a suitable replacement. On the other hand, Tsunoda has secured a contract to stay with Red Bull through 2025 after a strong beginning to the season.

Lawson, a 22-year-old from New Zealand, makes an entrance. His name has been circulating, especially after news broke that he would be testing the RB20 at Silverstone. Additionally, he is scheduled for another session with the current RB at Imola following the Belgian Grand Prix.

Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull, has acknowledged that Perez’s recent performance cannot continue as it is. However, he has minimized the importance of Lawson’s session at Silverstone, labeling it merely as an “aero test” that had been scheduled in advance.

"These tests have been scheduled for a while and haven't suddenly appeared; they've been in the works for a few months," Horner told Sky Sports.

"Liam's role is to be our test and reserve driver. However, it has been a dreadful weekend for Checo."

Analogies have been made to Ricciardo’s trial run at Silverstone last year, which eventually led to his unexpected comeback to the F1 circuit with AlphaTauri, taking over for Nyck de Vries.

However, the two tests are quite distinct from one another. A year ago, Ricciardo was involved in a Pirelli tire test using Red Bull's 2023 vehicle, allowing him to use the tire compounds that were in play throughout the season. This setup offered a more equitable comparison to measure the Australian driver's performance against his peers within the Red Bull team.

Although Lawson's two tests may not be as conclusive, he undeniably has a chance to make a strong impression on Red Bull and possibly contend for Perez’s position.

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