Daniel Ricciardo should do ‘something else’ with Red Bull urged to promote junior driver
Could Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull?
Labelling Sergio Perez’s performances “absolutely sh**”, Giedo van der Garde has urged Red Bull to axe the Mexican driver and put Liam Lawson, not Daniel Ricciardo, in the car.
Although two months ago Perez put pen to paper on a new Red Bull contract, it is now being suggested he has just two weeks to save his career.
There ‘only one simple choice’ for Red Bull…
PlanetF1.com understands there is a clause exists in Perez’s contract that allows Red Bull to make a driver swap in the summer break, that clause said to be based on his points in the Drivers’ Championship.
A deficit of 100 points to Max Verstappen would apparently activate the clause, with the current gap 137.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner acknowledged Perez is facing a “crucial” period as Red Bull “can’t just rely on one car, so we desperately need Checo to start scoring good points again.”
However, should the 34-year-old come up short in Hungary and Spa and fail to rise to the challenge, former F1 driver van der Garde says Red Bull should drop him.
Speaking on the ‘DRS: The Race Show’ podcast, he says while Perez has in the past doubted himself, “it’s really bad now. Since he has signed, it’s just been absolutely sh**.
“If he doesn’t start performing, there is only one simple choice.”
Sergio Perez is reportedly facing the Red Bull axe
?Verdict: Which driver should fill second Red Bull seat as Sergio Perez form spirals?
?Ranked: The 10 best junior drivers in the world right now
Red Bull urged to promote Liam Lawson
That choice mustn’t be Ricciardo he says, instead putting Lawson forward for the Red Bull seat.
The Red Bull reserve contested five Grands Prix last season as he filled in for the injured Ricciardo at VCARB, scoring two points at the Singapore Grand Prix despite being told hours earlier he would not have a 2025 race seat.
Red Bull instead retained Ricciardo for this season, but van der Garde believes he should move onto “something else” next year and leave the Red Bull seat to Lawson.
“They shouldn’t get Ricciardo, because he is still performing worse than Yuki Tsunoda,” said the Dutchman. “He should finish his year and do something else.
“I would say just put in Liam Lawson. It is a rookie, a boy who is fast, he can still learn a lot from Max, nobody expects much from him.
“It’s an advantage that he could do the test this week, because then they can immediately see how fast he is. And what is his feedback, how smooth and comfortable is he in that car.
“They did the same with Ricciardo last year and a few weeks later he was in Nyck [de Vries]’s car. If Perez doesn’t keep performing, they have to.”
Lawson was in the RB20 at Silverstone last Thursday, although Red Bull have yet to reveal any details about his test.
Read next: Follow PlanetF1.com’s WhatsApp channel for all the F1 breaking news!
