It’s only a week before Liam Lawson’s F1 future is finalised. That’s according to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, and will end almost a year of Lawson waiting for a decision.
If he is not placed somewhere within the Red Bull environment by a certain date in 2025, his contract says he is free to look elsewhere.
Currently, Lawson is vying with Australian Daniel Ricciardo, 35, for a place at Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s affiliate team.
The other three seats are already filled for next year, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both signed to Red Bull, while Yuki Tsunoda will drive for Racing Bulls.
Marko, who oversees Red Bull’s junior driver programme, suggested a decision will be forthcoming by the end of next weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
“Wait until after Singapore”, he said. “By then we will have a clear picture.”
Apparently other teams have shown interest in Lawson, but so far Audi-backed Sauber is the only team to finalise its driver pairing for 2025.
The Kiwi was recently targeted by Williams on a short-term deal for the remainder of 2024, when American Logan Sargeant was sacked. However, Red Bull blocked that move, and instead wanted to keep Lawson in their own ranks.
