Jos Verstappen has advocated for the dismissal of Sergio Perez for the concluding three races of the F1 2024 season, proposing that Liam Lawson could be promoted to partner Max Verstappen in order to acquire essential experience.
Since the conclusion of the Chinese Grand Prix in April, the Mexican driver has struggled to perform, failing to secure a podium finish and plummeting from second to eighth in the drivers’ standings, now trailing Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by a significant 39 points.
Facing difficulties with qualifying speed and becoming prone to crashes and mistakes, the 34-year-old has left Verstappen to battle for the drivers’ championship alone, while Red Bull has fallen to third in the constructors’ championship and appears likely to lose their grip on the title.
Consequently, there are demands for his four-year period with the team to conclude, and Jos Verstappen is not an exception as he insists that Perez be dismissed to allow Lawson a chance during the final moments of this F1 2024 season.
“He’s performing exceptionally, and I believe he’s prepared to advance,” Verstappen shared with Viaplay. “Let’s allow him to complete this season and build his confidence, then the team can determine the plan for next year.”
“I definitely don’t oppose it.” It’s preferable to have a person who is competitive and challenges Max somewhat. “That is always beneficial, but we’ll find out.”
Who could take the Perez Red Bull seat as Jos Verstappen calls for him to be sacked?
Lawson appears to be Red Bull’s favored choice to secure the position alongside Verstappen for the F1 2025 season, having integrated the New Zealander into the RB framework after the Singapore GP when they dismissed Daniel Ricciardo.
Ever since, he has performed notably well. He has matched the well-established pace of Yuki Tsunoda from the start and earned points at the 2024 United States GP and Brazilian GP at Interlagos, while competing with Perez during the Mexico GP.
However, alternatives may exist in the shape of Tsunoda, Franco Colapinto, and Valtteri Bottas, as Red Bull remains flexible and isn’t required to finalize a choice until the Australian GP in March 2025.
Tsunoda had decisively outperformed Nyck de Vries and Ricciardo when they were teammates, yet for some reason, he doesn’t appear to be considered by the Red Bull team, even though they recently consented to test him in one of their (non-RB) cars.
Since the 2024 Italian GP, Colapinto has made a significant impact in the F1 paddock after stepping in at Williams to take over from Logan Sargeant. He has scored points in two events and has placed no worse than 12th, demonstrating that he is quite competitive with Alex Albon.
Lastly, Bottas, recently dismissed by Sauber, is a highly respected driver who contributed to Mercedes’ five constructors’ championships from 2017 to 2021, securing 10 Grand Prix victories, 20 pole positions, and 67 podium finishes, and competing well against Hamilton.
Renowned for his teamwork skills and consistency in qualifying with minimal crashes, he would be a secure choice to maintain the existing Red Bull dynamic and is very unlikely to pose a challenge to Verstappen throughout the season.
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