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By Alex Harrington
Sports Contributing Writer
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As Red Bull Racing looks beyond the 2024 Formula 1 season, a search is underway for Sergio Perez's potential successor. With the 2025 lineup in focus, the Milton Keynes-based squad, under the guidance of team principal Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko, is considering a roster of talent including Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson. This exploration comes amid uncertainties surrounding Perez's future at Red Bull, adding to the F1 Silly Season speculations and potential driver reshuffles.
The significance of these evaluations touches on multiple aspects critical to Red Bull Racing's ambition to remain forefront of the Formula 1 World Championship. Such moves not only reflect on the team's roster dynamics but ripple across the F1 driver market, affecting team strategies and the career trajectories of several drivers.
In terms of evaluating driver capability and fit for the team, both Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo are under rigorous scrutiny this season, considering their skills and potential alignment with Red Bull's strategic goals for 2025. Liam Lawson, who stood out during his temporary stint in place of Ricciardo last season when the Australian broke his wrist, has also surfaced as a strong candidate. Further depth is added by prospects like Ayumu Iwasa, who competes in Super Formula, and Formula 2 racers Isack Hadjar and Josep Maria Marti, all representing Red Bull's junior talent pool.
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Helmut Marko's commentary elucidates the breadth of talent at Red Bull's disposal. He described the situation as a "luxury problem," indicating a positive challenge presented by the availability of multiple skilled drivers.
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"It's a luxury problem! Besides Tsunoda, we have another Honda driver who is doing good races and that is Ayumu Iwasa. He has not yet won a race this year because he had two bad starts, but he is still third in the championship. Tsunoda and Iwasa are two Japanese drivers who have a long-term contract with us, so we have to see how that goes in the long term," the Red Bull consultant said, as quoted by RacingNews365 (translated by Google).
On the technical front, Tsunoda's and Iwasa's potential selection is notably influenced by Red Bull's relationship with Honda. The developmental trajectory and racing metrics observed in Hadjar and Marti's F2 campaigns provide further insights. Marko has defined what Iwasa must do:
"Winning the Super Formula championship. So let's see how he wins it first. His first race wasn't good, but in the second race he was actually the best driver."
He continued:
"We have Isack Hadjar who is doing very well in Formula 2 and also Josep Maria Marti, although he still makes too many mistakes. With Hadjar you have to remember that he was knocked around during the first race and that he has already made two has had technical problems while riding in a winning position. He is still second in the championship, so he is definitely one of the fastest and most consistent guys."
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