Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko has cast his verdict on Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson as a decision looms over the Formula 1 future of Sergio Perez.
After a dismal end to 2024 saw a paltry return of 21 points across 10 rounds, Perez’s future at Red Bull hangs in the balance.
Discussions between Marko and Team Principal Christian Horner have been held to figure out if there is a way to move Perez out of his race seat early – after they signed the Mexican to a multi-year contract extension in June.
Lined up to replace Perez for 2025 should he move aside is the RB duo of Lawson and Tsunoda.
Liam Lawson compared to New Zealand’s F1 greats
In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Marko compared Lawson to legends of F1.
“Liam Lawson reminds me of Bruce McLaren or Denny Hulme, quite down-to-earth and mentally strong,’ the Austrian said.
McLaren and Hulme are two of the greatest F1 drivers New Zealand has ever produced.
The former founded one of the sport’s most successful teams and the latter won the 1967 Drivers’ title with Brabham.
Naming Lawson in those ranks is high praise indeed and could be why Red Bull rates him as a viable candidate to partner Max Verstappen in 2025.
Yuki Tsunoda temperament issues still a concern
When it comes to Tsunoda, Marko mentioned the Japanese driver’s supposed pitfalls: temperament, and errors.
“Yuki is incredibly fast, but not consistent,” he said.
“We saw that in Mexico, for example. And he is rather undisciplined for a Japanese driver, although that has improved.”
Tsunoda crashed out of qualifying in Mexico City chasing a top-10 result and later crashed out of the the Grand Prix on the opening lap.
READ MORE – Helmut Marko blasts ‘unstable’ Yuki Tsunoda over ‘unnecessary’ Mexico qualifying crash
However, Tsunoda’s record against Lawson since the New Zealander replaced Daniel Ricciardo ahead of the United States GP speaks for itself.
The Japanese driver outscored Lawson six-nothing in GP qualifying and beat him in races on four out of six chances with Lawson gaining a two-to-one upper hand in Sprints.
Red Bull test improving Tsunoda’s chances
Marko citing Tsunoda’s temperament is one of the reasons why speculation points towards Lawson getting the nod over his more experienced team-mate.
However, a maiden test outing in the Red Bull RB20 in Abu Dhabi last Tuesday could have improved Tsunoda’s chances.
Writing in his regular Speedweek column, Marko said: “Tsunoda was allowed out on track in the RB20 during post-season testing and the team was happy with his technical feedback.
“In this respect, he is far better than he is rumoured to be.
“He is just one of many talents we have in our ranks.”
Tsunoda’s test came after discussions with the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) and Red Bull.
HRC has backed Tsunoda as much if not more so than Red Bull during his career and this could have a hand in why Red Bull favours Lawson, who is their driver 100%.
With Honda departing Red Bull to power Aston Martin in 2026, it could be that the Milton Keynes-based outfit doesn’t want a driver who could be on a relatively short leash, ready to replace Fernando Alonso when the Spaniard finally decides he’s had enough of F1.
READ MORE – Yuki Tsunoda: Liam Lawson will ‘spice’ up Red Bull F1 seat chase
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