The ‘bizarre’ and ‘bewildering’ Red Bull situation facing Liam Lawson for F1 2025

Ahead of his six-race run in the VCARB starting in Austin, Liam Lawson has three possible scenarios for F1 2025 as he may not be on the grid at all, he may be in a VCARB and he may even end up being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate.

That’s according to F1 commentator Alex Jacques, who has called it “bizarre” and “bewildering” but overall “really intriguing”.

Which F1 future awaits Liam Lawson in 2025?

12 months after contesting his final race with Red Bull’s junior team when he substituted for Daniel Ricciardo after the Aussie broke his hand, Lawson will be back on the grid at the United States Grand Prix.

He has been called up by Red Bull to replace Ricciardo in the junior team for the final six races of the championship in what’s being billed as an audition for a F1 2025 seat.

But is it a VCARB audition or for a Red Bull seat?

“This goes beyond VCARB, it encompasses Red Bull Racing,” Horner admitted on the F1 Nation podcast.

But while he went on to say that “obviously we’ve got a contract with Sergio for next year”, that contract is in question with Helmut Marko saying the only thing that will “guarantee” the Mexican driver’s stay is if he “performs accordingly”.

And it could be argued he is not doing as he sits 187 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship having failed to reach the podium 13 races in a row. He’s also the only driver from the top four teams without a win on the board.

It has Jacques declaring one of three fates awaits Lawson for F1 2025; no seat, a VCARB seat or one alongside Verstappen at Red Bull.

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“It’s really intriguing,” the commentator told the Formula For Success podcast.

“I was really interested to hear Christian Horner’s comments that it’s part of a wider, not audition, but there’s an opportunity for him to put himself not just in the discussion for a VCARB seat, but the actual senior team as well.

“And this is Christian Horner on the record. This isn’t any insider goss. This was on the record, public comments to Formula 1, saying it’s part of a wider picture. So, he’s got this strange thing, where he’s got six Grands Prix.

“He’s worked for this his entire life. He’s not from a racing background, so they started from scratch, and he’s got to Europe, he succeeded. He’s come up through Formula 3, Formula 2.

“Now he’s in this situation where he might get himself a contract at RB [VCARB], he might get himself a contract at Red Bull. At which point you’ve got to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate. I mean, it’s a bizarre thing.

“In seven races time, Melbourne next year, he could be not on the grid at all, in a VCARB or in a Red Bull. And that is bewildering stuff.”

It seems Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko wouldn’t be afraid to promote Lawson to the senior team next season, after all Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto have shown this season that the youngsters can do the job.

“Liam Lawson can now contest the last six rounds of the World Championship for the Racing Bulls team, we will evaluate how he compares to Yuki Tsunoda and then we will see,” he told Speedweek.

“He has to deliver a Formula 1 worthy performance, as he has already done in his previous GP appearances.

“The GP appearances of Oliver Bearman and especially Franco Colapinto have shown that the youngsters are ready for the step up and that the old philosophy of some team bosses that only drivers with three or four years’ experience can be promoted to a top team is outdated. Mercedes has now proven this with its driver decision, just as Red Bull Racing has done several times in the past.

“So you can rely on youth. It’s a certain risk, but it’s manageable and worth it. You have to give the youngsters a chance to prove themselves in a GP car after they have climbed the junior ladder.”

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