Christian Horner names his ‘ideal’ driver lineup at Red Bull for 2025

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Red Bull’s driver lineup for the 2025 season has come under renewed scrutiny following the replacement of Daniel Ricciardo for Liam Lawson.

Lawson was announced as the replacement for Ricciardo in the immediate aftermath of the Singapore GP, where it was widely speculated that it would be the final weekend for the Australian.

The promotion of Lawson has put the spotlight on Sergio Perez who posted an update to his social media profiles recently, in response to rumours over his future at the team.

Ricciardo was thought to be lined up as a replacement for Perez, but following a lacklustre season at Visa CashApp RB whereby teammate Yuki Tsunoda outclassed him, he was eventually never considered to be a candidate.

With Lawson now effectively auditioning for a seat at Red Bull, team principal Christian Horner has named his ‘ideal’ driver lineup in 2025 on the F1 Nation podcast.

Christian Horner’s ideal driver lineup at Red Bull for the 2025 season includes Sergio Perez

Red Bull decided to renew Perez’s contract this season before his form dropped off midway through the season, but with the caveat that he stayed within 100 points of Max Verstappen.

Perez is currently in breach of this contract according to reports, having signed the one-plus-one contract in June.

This means Red Bull could axe Perez if he underdelivers in the second part of the season given they are trailing McLaren by 40 points in the Constructors’ Championship.

The future of Verstappen is also uncertain amid their current on-track struggles and backroom staff resignations, having also been courted by Mercedes’ Toto Wolff about a future drive.

When asked about what his ideal lineup would be, Horner stopped short of saying he would like to see a change.

Clarkson: “What is your ideal scenario for 2025?”

Horner: “That Checo finds his form and rediscovers the shape that he was in at the beginning of the year and nothing changes. But as we know in this business, two weeks is long term.”

Nico Rosberg baffled by Sergio Perez form

A lot of Perez’s struggles this year have been attributed to the inherent issues faced by Red Bull with the RB20.

The team is hopeful an upgrade in Austin will put them back on track, but it is no secret that the last few races have been a challenge for the defending champions.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

Red Bull enginers apologised to Perez before the Singapore GP as they felt they should have taken his concerns about the car more seriously earlier in the season.

Verstappen is now making similar complaints about the overall handling of the RB20, which has become difficult to manage throughout a race stint.

Former f1 driver Nico Rosberg believes Perez is capable of beating Verstappen at his peak, but struggles to score points when things go awry.