Helmut Marko set to name ‘perfect’ racer as RB’s 2025 reserve driver ahead of Liam Lawson decision

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Red Bull are still trying to work out what to do with their exceptional roster of drivers ahead of the next Formula 1 season.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are contracted to the senior Red Bull team for 2025, although Perez still faces some uncertainty over his future.

The RB team still have a seat available for next year with Yuki Tsunoda already confirmed.

Daniel Ricciardo is trying to earn a contract extension already RB’s recent struggles with their latest update package have made it difficult for the Australian to stand out.

Helmut Marko has said that Liam Lawson’s future will be decided soon after being promised a race seat for next year.

Red Bull are unlikely to announce Lawson’s next step until after Singapore, but he looks to be in line for a full-time promotion into the RB team at the expense of Ricciardo.

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A report from Motorsport Italia has shared that Marko is already preparing for Lawson’s role to change next year.

Red Bull have a wealth of young talent to call upon and it seems as though Ayumu Iwasa will be handed the role of reserve driver in 2025.

It begs the question of where Isack Hadjar will end up as he continues his fight to win the Formula 2 title.

Helmut Marko set to name Ayumu Iwasa as RB’s reserve driver for 2025

The report from Motorsport Italia suggests that although the wait is set to go on to confirm the 19^th driver (or potentially 20^th depending on how quickly Sauber act) on the grid for 2025.

They believe it’s a two-horse race between Ricciardo and Lawson that the young Kiwi is expected to win.

Ted Kravitz also believes that Lawson will be RB’s next driver which leaves Ricciardo in an all-or-nothing fight to either earn an unlikely promotion into the main Red Bull team or leave the paddock entirely.

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They believe that Iwasa is already confirmed by Helmut Marko as RB’s reserve driver for 2025 but will carry out that work alongside another campaign in Super Formula.

Iwasa is currently 5^th in the championship in his first season in Super Formula with two podiums to his name.

Iwasa impressed during his only F1 outing in 2024 with RB

Several exciting young talents have been given the chance to impress in FP1 sessions throughout the season.

Iwasa was handed his opportunity during the first practice session in Suzuka when Ricciardo was initially under pressure following a slow start to the season.

RB racing director Alan Permane said after his FP1 run at Suzuka, via F1i: “He did a perfect job for us. He got the car up to speed, was quick and gave good feedback,” the Briton noted.

“Ayumu was using the standard floor, while the new floor was on Yuki’s car. That allowed us to get a comparison and very accurate assessment, which was great.

“We’re happy with the new floor, it’s delivering exactly what we predicted, and we’ll be using it on both cars for the rest of the weekend.”

This leaves Hadjar in a difficult position if he does manage to win the Formula 2 championship ahead of rival Gabriel Bortoleto.

He may end up sharing reserve driver duties with Iwasa as the Japanese driver may not be available every weekend if he’s still competing in Super Formula.

However, if they’re both in the paddock at the same time and either team needs a driver, it would give senior Red Bull staff a very difficult decision to make.