Helmut Marko confirms when Red Bull will ‘announce’ plans for Liam Lawson’s future

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After news that Sergio Perez will be retained by Red Bull after the summer break, talk has turned to what will happen with Liam Lawson.

The Red Bull reserve driver impressed last year when he substituted the injured Daniel Ricciardo, achieving points in his third race in Singapore where he finished ninth.

Liam Lawson has long been tipped for a full-time drive on the grid, although which team it will be depends on the outcome of a decision made by Red Bull.

There is reportedly a specific clause in Lawson’s contract with Red Bull that states he can move to another team if they do not offer him a drive in either the main team or Visa Cashapp RB.

The latter recently extended their contract with Yuki Tsunoda through 2025, which leaves free agent Daniel Ricciardo as a potential driver to replace for Lawson.

Whatever happens, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed the timeline for the decision in a recent post on Speedweek.

Helmut Marko reveals Liam Lawson decision timeline

Red Bull is not short on drivers it could parachute in to replace Perez should he continue to underperform, with team principal Christian Horner making it clear that it depends on his results in the next few races.

Ricciardo may only have one race left to save his seat at RB due to the clause that exists in Lawson’s contract, with August set to be a key month given there is only one race at Zandvoort.

Marko has explained Red Bull has a specific timeline for when they plan to announce any plans for Lawson’s future within the team.

“We will announce what happens next with Liam Lawson in September,” said Marko.

“The fact that he was allowed to gain further F1 experience kilometers in Imola had been planned for a long time. Even if the competition would like to use it on loan, it is not available for that.”

Has Liam Lawson done enough to earn a Red Bull seat?

While Lawson has not been racing full-time on the grid this year, he has still been a critical part of their operations in the background by putting in simulator work and carrying out media duties.

Horner has previously assured Lawson that his time will come when RB announced Ricciardo and Tsunoda as their drivers for this season.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

The New Zealander had a test with Red Bull after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, but he reportedly failed to impress engineers with his performance on the day. Comparisons between Lawson’s test and Ricciardo’s decisive one in 2023 were drawn, although there were significant differences.

Ricciardo is said to be ahead of Lawson in the queue to replace Perez, which might all depend on whether the Mexican can close the points gap to Max Verstappen in the first races after the summer break.