Six wild ways Red Bull could replace Sergio Perez

🎃Here are a handful of alternatives to Sergio Perez

Perez, Piastri
Perez, Piastri

Red Bull have plenty of options to replace 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Sergio Perez - some are within ♉their grasp, others are far more ambi🐷tious.

Perez’s future remains unde🐓r scrutiny at this weekend’s F1 Mexico City Grand Prix, his home race, after he qualified in 18th.

A streak of 14 grands prix without a podium has piled pressure onto P🧸erez who admits his season has been “terrible”.

Her🌺e’s five ways Red Bull could rejig their driver line-up.

Oscar Piastri

Red Bull’s claim tha⛦t they a🃏re interested in their rival’s McLaren’s Oscar Piastri caused a stir in Mexico.

“Mark Webber is intensively seeking conversation,” Helmut Marko claimed to  abouꦆt Piastri’s manager.

Piastri responded: “Definitely not. “I’m very𒁃 happy🌃 where I am.”

Piastri is tied to McLaren until the end of 2026 so would be an incredibly difficult dr💖iver for Red ༒Bull to obtain.

Any interest in him would have to wait until the end of 2025, at least, when Piastri would have only a 𝔉year remaining at McLaren.

Whether Red Bull deem that a gamble 💟worth taking - to leave Perez in situ for the next year while they wait to approach P🌄iastri - remains to be seen.

Th﷽e logic of chasing Piastri is obvious - the young Australian has become a grand prix winner this year, and alongside Lando Norris is key to McLaren overthrowing Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

Marko’s claim about Piastri’s manager might, o👍f course, be a naughty way to try and destabilis𝄹e Red Bull’s main rival.

Franco Colapinto

Willia🍃ms driver Franco Colapinto is the elephant in the room.

As a mid-season replacement for the under-performing Logan Sargeant, Colapinto’s mission was always tempor𓃲ary. Williams w꧋ill welcome Carlos Sainz to partner Alex Albon in 2025.

The problem is that Colapinto’s drives has been so eye-catching but he has nowhere to race next seas☂on.

Audi/Sauber might take an interest i𒈔n him but seem to be leaning more⛎ to Valtteri Bottas or Gabriel Bortoleto.

So, would Red Bull take a punt on Colapinto? Even if it meant putting him in their RB team and promotinᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚg one of their existing drivers alongside Verstappenꦚ?

Journalist Sam Power told the F1 Nation podcast: ꧂“Would Franco be a good fit for Red Bull? He’s a driver who has done an unbelievable job in deput🃏ising, like Liam Lawson did.

“He 🍬opens up a new market and demographic in Argentina which Formula 1 hasn’t had for a long time.

“In which case, if you want to look at what to do in the🌌 future, he’s a strong candidate.”

Lawrence 🦋Barretto replied: “Helmut Marko is not afraid of making the tough decisions and he won’t want to miss out on a talent like Colapinto.”

George Russell

Red Bull’s claim that they were ꦗkeeping a close eye on George Russell’s contract s𒅌ituation might have been to irk Mercedes.

Christian Hornꦗer name-checked Russell as a possible future option if Red Bull opt to look outside of their considerable junior driver pool.

“Christian is al🎉ways trying to stir the s*** up,” Toto Wolff hit back.

But, Russell is out of contract at Mercedes in a year’s time. Next season, he will drive alongside Kimi Antonelli who will replace Lewis Ha🃏milton.

Red Bull could feasibly keep c𓃲lose tabs on Russell’s contract situati🐓on with a view to making an offer for 2026.

But, that might mean sticking with Perez 💮until then.

Russell has always pledged loyalty to Mercedes whose engine plans for the new regulations in 2026 are reportedly the🥃 envy of F1 teams up and down the paddock, which could prove to be key in the driver market.

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson is the clꦡearest and most obvious choice to replace Perez.

He has already been thrown in at the deep end as a mid-season replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at RB, and he hugely impresse♛d in his first grand prix in Texas last week.

Lawson went from the back of💯 the grid to a points scoring position, and Horner praised him as driving “like a veteran”.

The talk within the F1 paddock is that Lawson is effectively auditioning between 🎀now and the end of the season to be immediately promoted from RB into Perez’s car in 2025.

Lawson has the big opportunity at his fingertips. But will he actually do enough to prove to Red Bull that he is a significant upgrade on the🐻 experienced Perez?

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda has been within the Red Bull driver programme for three years but h🍃as seld꧑om been discussed seriously for the main drive, alongside Verstappen.

Tsunoda outperformed Ricciardo this season which effectively 🍰brought the spotlight on the veteran Au🐬ssie, who has now lost his drive.

If T🔯sunoda can also see off Lawso𝓰n, his highly-rated new teammate, then Red Bull might take a shine to him.

He✨ has major backers in Honda, the Japanes▨e manufacturer who have always supported him career, and who are Red Bull’s partners.

Honda’s reco🦄mmendation could lead to an end-of-season test in the Red Bull 𓂃for Tsunoda.

There is an obvious pathway for him into the coveted drive in 2025, even if he hasn’t always seemed destined to be Verstappen’🅠s teammate.

A Red Bull junior

The easiest wꦰay to replace Perez - and a method which Red Bull could control from start to finish - would be to promote Lawson or Tsunoda, then replace them at RB with somebody internal.

Red Bull have historically placed ⭕great faith in their junior driver pool.

Isa꧑ck Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad would seem to be at the top of ཧthe list.

Hadjar is currently second in the Formula 2 standings. Linblad is fourt♍h in F3.

Would either be backed for a step up into F1?

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