Christian Horner has now chosen his preferred Sergio Perez replacement for the 2025 F1 season

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The battle to secure the final available seat on the Formula 1 grid is set to take plenty of twists and turns before the chequered flag flies at the season finale in Abu Dhabi in a few weeks.

RB have confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will continue for a fifth season with the team in 2025, but the identity isn’t known yet.

Tsunoda is set to leave RB next year, but that’s a conundrum Red Bull can address in the future.

The seat alongside him is still vacant, although Liam Lawson has done a brilliant job since replacing Daniel Ricciardo after the Singapore Grand Prix.

He knows that an even more exciting option could be available for 2025 though, with Sergio Perez under increasing pressure at Red Bull.

However, in recent weeks another driver has emerged as a candidate to replace Perez should the Mexican driver not meet the required standards in the eyes of team principal Christian Horner.

Williams driver Franco Colapinto has been linked with Red Bull after surprising everyone with the levels he was capable of reaching after just a few F1 races.

Journalist Molly Hudson was speaking on TalkSPORT’s YouTube channel about the battle that could be set to take place between Colapinto and Lawson if they both want to be on the grid next year.

Christian Horner prefers Liam Lawson promotion over Franco Colapinto signing

Talking about the driver situation at Red Bull, Hudson said: “Liam Lawson, who is currently in that seat at V-CARB, has done very well since he came in, obviously replaced Daniel Ricciardo midseason, so he doesn’t have a seat and neither does Franco Colapinto, the Williams rookie, who also came in midseason for Logan Sargeant.

“So, I think between those two there’s a real battle going on but what’s interesting is it’s arguably not for that V-CARB seat.

“It’s actually for the second Red Bull seat because I think Sergio Perez is under a huge, huge amount of pressure at Red Bull.

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“I think there’s a possibility there that maybe next season there might be room on the grid for both Colapinto and Lawson if Perez did depart.

“That’s not decided yet, it really does depend on how those two rookies perform in these last three races of the season.

“I think there’s a lot of pressure on those two and I think if Christian Horner had to make that decision right now, I would say that he would probably pick Liam Lawson over Colapinto, just because Lawson he’s obviously the Red Bull reserve driver.

“He’s been within that family for a lot of years now and he’s really impressed since he’s come in.”

Franco Colapinto exploring his options after amazing start to life in F1

If Colapinto doesn’t earn a seat at Red Bull, then he will continue at Williams as their reserve driver.

Alpine have also been linked with Colapinto, although they already have two drivers signed up for 2025.

Horner has reportedly been given the green light to sign Colapinto, but whether a fee can be agreed and what team he would drive for are still questions that require answering.

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Colapinto could slot in alongside Tsunoda at RB if Lawson is promoted, while having the Argentinian within the group as a reserve driver would still earn the team millions in potential sponsorship money.

The most important thing for Colapinto is to make sure he performs at the highest level possible during the final three races of the season to give himself the best chance of being on the grid alongside Lawson in 2025.