“His career will be ruined”: Fans react as Helmut Marko delivers update on Liam Lawson’s Red Bull future

Liam Lawson (L) and Helmut Marko (R) (Images via Getty)
Liam Lawson (L) and Helmut Marko (R) (Images via Getty)

F1 fans reacted to Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko's recent update on Liam Lawson's future in F1. The Kiwi has been on the sidelines, waiting for his chance to get a permanent seat on the grid.

After racing for six Grand Prix in 2023 as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson gained a lot of praise for his impressive performance in F1. Soon after his debut, several reports claimed that Red Bull would keep Lawson on the sidelines and replace one of their current drivers with him in the near future.

After Sergio Perez's performance dipped following the Miami GP, rumors about Lawson directly getting the Red Bull seat sparked. Some also speculated that Lawson could get Daniel Ricciardo's seat in RB, while the Australian could replace Checo.

As of now, there has been no change in driver lineups in both Red Bull and RB teams. In his exclusive column on "Speedweek", Helmut Marko stated that the Austrian giants will provide an update on Liam Lawson's future in September. He added that the New Zealander would not be available for loan to any other team on the grid.

"We will announce what happens next with Liam Lawson in September. It had been planned for a long time that he would be able to gain more Formula 1 experience in Imola. Even if the competition would like to use him on loan, he is not available for that," Marko said.

Several F1 fans expressed their disappointment as they felt that Red Bull continued to stall Lawson's entry into the sport. Reacting to the news on X, a user opined that 35-year-old Daniel Ricciardo should be replaced by the younger Lawson at RB since it is a junior team.

"Poor kid. His career will be ruined if he doesn't race next season. Make Ricciardo a reserve driver and give him a seat," one fan wrote.
"Poor guy, Ricciardo is pushing 40 and still in a junior team," another chimed in.
"Lawson will replace Ricciardo it’s so obvious," someone added.

Some fans also speculated that Sergio Perez could be removed from Red Bull after the Singapore GP, and be replaced with Daniel Ricciardo. Meanwhile, Ricciardo's seat at RB can be occupied by Liam Lawson.

"Perez getting the boot after Singapore," one follower speculated.
"Perez will somehow survive to Mexico and the sponsors will pay for the loss of prize money. Ricciardo in for Perez and Liam in for Danny," another predicted.

There have also been reports from "The Race" of Liam Lawson being a prime candidate to replace Sergio Perez. As of now, however, the Austrian team has decided to keep the Mexican driver after the summer break in August.


RB driver reckons he worked harder than Liam Lawson for a Red Bull seat

While several speculations are flying around Liam Lawson, Yuki Tusnoda gave his thoughts on Red Bull's decision to directly promote the New Zealander to the team and replace Checo.

Speaking to F1.com, when Tsunoda was asked how he would feel if Lawson got into Red Bull before him, he said that he would be weirded out. Though the Japanese driver praised Lawson for his behind-the-scenes work, he believes that he has worked harder than the Kiwi. Concluding his comment, he left the decision to move drivers in the team's hands.

“If they choose Liam, that would be weird. But for me at least, I don't think [it will happen]. For sure Liam did a really good job when he drove in the team, but I think I did more than that. We'll see how it goes. In the end, they [Red Bull] know how to manage drivers,” Tsunoda said.

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Edited by Shirsh