F1 | Red Bull: Lawson’s future to be revealed in September

With the confirmation of Sergio Perez at least until the end of the current season, Red Bull Racing has definitively stabilized the situation of its driver pairing and, by extension, also that of its junior team, Racing Bulls.

The top brass of the team based in Milton Keynes have however begun to make decisions and formulate plans for next year as well. In addition to the mainstay Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda, both of whom have an existing contract, the roles of Liam Lawson, currently third driver and simulator operator for Racing Bulls, and Isack Hadjar, one of the great protagonists of the FIA ​​Formula 2 season, will have to be defined.

Liam Lawson came close to returning to the team shortly after the Belgian Grand Prix. Everything seemed to be leading to Sergio Perez being dropped by Red Bull and Daniel Ricciardo being promoted, with the Australian set to replace his compatriot at Racing Bulls, but a change of plans has blocked him once again.

Next year, however, we will almost certainly find him in Formula 1 as a regular, probably alongside Tsunoda. Helmut Marko, in his column on Speedweek, revealed that Liam’s future will be revealed in a month, in September.

“We will announce what will happen to Liam Lawson in September. The fact that he has been allowed to gain further experience in Formula 1 at Imola has been planned for some time, even if the competition would like to use him on loan, he is not available for such a thing.”

Isack Hadjar, Campos Racing

Photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool

Hadjar, who is doing well in FIA F2 leading the Drivers’ standings with 165 points, is currently the best prospect in the Red Bull Academy. The one most ready to have an important role starting next season, even if he will almost certainly not become a regular in any team. He will have to wait at least a year before having his big opportunity.

“Our Formula 2 driver, Isack Hadjar, took his fourth win in the series at Spa. He clearly has the potential to race in Formula 1. We will see how things develop, but he will certainly take on a role of some kind. It could be that, like Lawson, he spends a year as a test and simulator driver,” concluded Marko.