Helmut Marko answers Sergio Perez rumour as ‘man for the future’ shines
Liam Lawson has two huge reasons to smile after the Grand Prix having finished P9
Although Sergio Perez has denied he will announce his retirement in Mexico, Helmut Marko says he needs to improve after Liam Lawson emerged as a “man for the future” in Austin.
Lawson could not have asked for a better audition than the one he put in at the United States Grand Prix as he walked away with two World Championship points.
Helmut Marko bills Liam Lawson as a ‘man for the future’
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock
Replacing Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB for the final six races of the season, Lawson is auditioning for a spot on the F1 2025 grid. The big question is will it be with VCARB or will he replace Perez at Red Bull?
Lawson, contesting a Grand Prix for the first time in over 12 months, shrugged off any sign of cobwebs to show his one-lap pace in qualifying as he went third fastest in Q1, the only session in which he put his foot down given his pending 60-place grid penalty. He was three-tenths up on Perez.
“You showed what you had to show,” his race engineer told him after the session. Lawson replied: “That’s all I wanted to do.”
Lining up 19th on the Circuit of The Americas grid, Lawson made up positions off the line and ran a long first stint to undercut his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda. While Tsunoda’s frustrations boiled over into a spin, Lawson raced his way to ninth place.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko was full of praise for the Kiwi.
“A really great debut,” Marko told Sky Deutschland. “That was already apparent in Q1, where he drove the third fastest time.
“He was in control at all times and had great overtaking manoeuvres. You have to put the youngsters in the car and then it works. He is definitely a man for the future.”
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was also impressed, saying: “I thought he jumped in and looked like a veteran. He did great and he can be very happy with that drive.
“I thought he drove a great grand prix. Starting 19th, finishing in the points, some great overtakes, so he should be pleased with that.”
United States GP: Conclusions and Driver Ratings
?US Grand Prix conclusions: Red Bull’s bibgate saga and Sergio Perez to jump?
?United States GP driver ratings: A Leclerc masterclass and more misery for Perez
Red Bull need Sergio Perez to ‘come into play’
The same cannot be said for either Marko or Horner’s assessment of Perez’s Sunday.
Although he lined up ninth on the grid, 10 positions ahead of Lawson, he only made up three during the Grand Prix to finish P6 where he was 10 seconds up the road from the Kiwi.
Marko was asked about the rumour that Perez could announce his retirement at the next race in Mexico.
“It’s a rumour,” said the 81-year-old. “He himself says there is no truth in it.”
And then he added: “Let’s see, but he has to improve his performance.”
Horner too concedes Red Bull need more from Perez especially as they’re up against McLaren and Ferrari who both have two drivers bringing in big points.
“Ferrari congratulations to them this weekend. They’ve been very, very strong,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “They’ve got two drivers that are competing at the front. McLaren likewise, their drivers, there’s not a big deficit between them.
“So that’s where we really need for the constructors to have Checo come into play.
“Hopefully, with the support he will receive in Mexico, it will give him that boost. Obviously when you qualify out of position, you lose so much time coming through tail-end cars in the top ten that you’ve then lost contact with the rest of the race.”
Although Red Bull outscored McLaren for the first time since Spain in Austin, Ferrari were the big winners in the Constructors’ Championship with their 1-2 result as they’re just eight points behind Red Bull in the standings and 48 behind McLaren.
Read next: US GP data reveals Max Verstappen miracle against McLaren
