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Red Bull warned how Liam Lawson could create a ‘complicated’ situation by Juan Pablo Montoya

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Red Bull could be on the verge of a dilemma surrounding the driver line-up within their two teams in Formula 1.

Sergio Perez has floundered this season at Red Bull beside Max Verstappen. The Mexican hasn’t yet won a Grand Prix this year and has not stood on the podium since April’s Chinese Grand Prix.

The Austrian entity have already made changes to their sister Visa Cash App RB line-up, dropping Daniel Ricciardo and giving Liam Lawson an opportunity in the final six rounds of the year.

Lawson was incredibly impressive last year at AlphaTauri, replacing the injured Ricciardo and scoring points at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2023.

If Perez continues to struggle, Red Bull may be forced to replace the 34-year-old, particularly if Lawson beats Yuki Tsunoda.

They also have F2 title contender Isack Hadjar in their junior ranks, performing well in Formula 2 for Campos.

Juan Pablo Montoya has even warned Red Bull whilst speaking to AS Colombia’s YouTube channel that Hadjar winning the F2 Championship and Lawson performing well in F1 beside Tsunoda could give them a tough choice.

Juan Pablo Montoya warns Red Bull that Liam Lawson could give Red Bull a difficult decision in F1

F1 British Grand Prix 2024 Practice 1 And Practice 2
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Lawson proved last season that he can adapt quickly to the added pressure of being a Formula 1 driver, and he matched his teammate Tsunoda in their five races together.

The New Zealander will face a slightly different challenge this season as all six of the circuits are new to him in a Formula 1 car, Karun Chandhok has his doubts about Lawson ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

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Hadjar could also force his way into contention for a seat in Formula 1 for 2025 if he can get the better of Gabriel Bortoleto in the F2 championship battle.

Montoya explained that Red Bull’s situation with their driver line-up could become a difficult choice if their young drivers perform well.

He said: “It’s complicated because Liam Lawson is being given the opportunity right now at RB. If they give him and opportunity and Liam does a good job and Hadjar wins the championship in F2, Red Bull has a complicated decision.

“Yuki has done a good job but If Liam beats Yuki what do they do because they have Hadjar also.”

Red Bull have suffered due to Sergio Perez’s lacklustre performances in F1

Red Bull have been heavily relying on Max Verstappen to score points and challenge at the front of the field to compensate for Perez’s difficult year.

Perez briefly improved in the Azerbaijan GP before crashing on the penultimate lap, and Red Bull are now unlikely to win the Constructors’ Championship partly because of the Mexican’s poor form.

McLaren are leading the standings and poised to take their first Constructors’ title since 1998 which would be a boost for the team.

Perez may need to be moved aside ahead of next season and he has shown little signs of a better run of results and McLaren are continuing to improve.