Giedo van der Garde outlines ‘perfect scenario’ for Liam Lawson amid potential Sergio Perez swap

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Sergio Perez is on the brink of losing his Red Bull seat if he fails to improve in the next two Formula 1 Grands Prix before the summer break.

The Mexican has slipped back to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship after failing to score points at the last round at Silverstone and now faces the possibility of both Mercedes drivers overtaking him if they continue their upward trajectory.

Red Bull has reportedly laid out various performance clauses in his most recent contract which is supposed to include the 2025 season and an option for 2026, but on the condition that he does not fall 100 points behind Max Verstappen.

Verstappen is currently 137 points ahead with both Hungary and Spa Francorchamps coming up, meaning Perez must outscore him by 13 points at each race otherwise he could have his seat under threat.

Speaking on the DRS: De Race Show, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde has outlined the ‘perfect scenario’ if Red Bull chooses to swap Perez for another driver in their talent pool.

Liam Lawson to prepare for Zandvoort in F1 summer break

Liam Lawson has been touted as a potential replacement for Perez midseason if his form does not pick up, having recent participated in a test for the Milton Keynes squad after the British GP.

Although the test resembled the one that Daniel Ricciardo did last year which secured his RB comeback, Lawson’s was slightly different because Red Bull utilised their filming day milage allocation.

If Perez continues to underperform, Van Der Garde believes there is a dream scenario for the 22-year-old that would help him prepare for his senior team debut.

“Red Bull will have a hard time at this track [Hungary]. Then Perez has this race and then he still has Spa before he is done. Liam Lawson can continue training all summer, so then he will be ready for Zandvoort like he was last year. Perfect scenario.”

Will Red Bull replace Sergio Perez?

It has been a discussion point throughout the intervening days since Perez failed to score points again for Red Bull at Silverstone.

Former F1 strategist Bernie Collins pointed out how Perez’s form might become a ‘big problem’ for Red Bull later on in the season when they challenge for the Constructors’ Championship.

Elsewhere, Lawson is said to have not impressed Red Bull engineers to immediately warrant a promotion to the senior team. Former F1 driver Tiff Needell believes the seat should go to Yuki Tsunoda, then RB could potentially employ a surprise second driver.

Ricciardo is not expected to be in the running for any replacement seat for Perez considering his form has been sub-par, although Ricciardo’s management is keen to keep him onboard at RB for the rest of the season to evaluate his performance.