Red Bull could make three changes to 2025 driver line-ups with Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo out

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Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo are both facing uncertain futures right now. Red Bull are reportedly considering axing both drivers midway through the season.

Perez only signed a new two-year contract last month. But the team negotiated break clauses into that deal and they may activate them during the summer break after the Mexican’s season unravelled.

If Perez remains more than 100 points behind Verstappen after the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the month (the gap is currently 137), the team are entitled to make a change. But it’s ‘certain’ that Red Bull won’t turn to Daniel Ricciardo.

Ricciardo himself was the beneficiary of a mid-season swap in 2023 as he returned to F1 in place of Nyck de Vries. But he’s struggled for consistency at RB, scoring points in just 25% of the 12 race weekends so far.

For comparison, teammate Yuki Tsunoda has seven points-finishes to his name, including Sprints. He’s nine clear of the Australian in the championship.

Red Bull’s shareholders want a young talent in the car, according to executive director Helmut Marko. This only fuelled talk that the 35-year-old Ricciardo could lose his seat this summer.

Red Bull could promote Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar for 2025

Speaking on the Formel Schmidt podcast, Auto Motor und Sport journalist Michael Schmidt predicted that Red Bull would indeed part with Perez, if not midseason then in December. He’s backed Tsunoda to replace him.

Team principal Christian Horner is concerned that Tsunoda wouldn’t ‘survive’ against Verstappen. But the Japanese driver still has half a season to change his mind, and appears to be the outstanding option in the Red Bull pool at the moment.

Down at RB, meanwhile, Schmidt envisages a whole new line-up. Tsunoda’s promotion would leave one vacancy, and the team would then release Ricciardo at the end of his contract.

That opens the door for reserve driver Liam Lawson, who deputised for an injured Ricciardo at five Grands Prix in 2023. F2 championship leader Isack Hadjar would take the other seat, having taken part in FP1 for Red Bull at Silverstone.

“I can imagine that maybe next year, it will be Verstappen, Tsunoda at Red Bull and then at Toro Rosso [sic], Lawson and Hadjar,” Schmidt said.

What Red Bull engineers have told Christian Horner about Sergio Perez

Red Bull will be keen to ensure that Verstappen is happy with the identity of his teammate. He’s thrashed Perez to a historic extent, but may want more support in his fight at the front.

Peter Windsor feels that Verstappen wouldn’t want an ‘annoying’ partner who could challenge him for pace. Horner must keep him happy amid ongoing uncertainty around his future.

Content as he may be with Perez, the situation is becoming untenable. Red Bull engineers have warned Horner that he could cost them the constructors’ championship this year.

They’ve recently increased their margin over Ferrari to 72 points. But McLaren, 78 behind, are now outscoring them on a consistent basis.