Helmut Marko confirms the preview given by Motorsport.com last October 1st: in 2025 he hopes to see a driver from the Red Bull academy alongside Max Verstappen.
Sometimes they are sports political messages. Others, however, are words that go beyond imagination, giving glimpses of what the future could be, but the Red Bull consultant must always be listened to. Of course, he must also be interpreted, but he is certainly not the character who speaks a lot for the honor of signing.
And then it’s legitimate for Sergio Perez to start getting seriously worried. Before the break the Mexican was pardoned, with Daniel Ricciardo having failed to perform well enough to lead the Milton Keynes team to ax the Mexican.
Armed with a two-year contract (actually one year plus the option for a second), Perez is far from safe. And now, with just a few races to go, he will have to try to repeat the excellent performance in Baku as much as possible to avoid losing his place at the start of 2025.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“I ideally hope that Max is at Red Bull in 2025, and ideally with someone from our junior program,” Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF. A few turns of words. In this case few words indeed, but a sentence full of meaning.
Liam Lawson, who will take Daniel Ricciardo’s place in Racing Bulls from Austin, will have just 6 races to show his worth. If he succeeds, then Max could have a new teammate. A race to see who will do better between the two, in which both Perez and Lawson risk taking everything, but also losing just as much.
It’s the harsh law of Milton Keynes. The same law that has burned pilots of excellent caliber, including Sébastien Buemi, Jean-Eric Vergne, Jaime Alguersuari, Pierre Gasly, Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon, just to name a few.
Lawson will have to make sure he isn’t on the list just mentioned. If he succeeds, not only will he be in Formula 1 next year, but he will do it in the team that will be able to include a multiple world champion like Verstappen and with ambitions of world titles, despite having lost key figures in every role especially starting from January this year. It will be all or nothing. And only in December will we know who and how he will be next to Max.
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