Liam Lawson, returning to Formula 1 with VCARB after a year as Red Bull’s reserve driver, received early praise from Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, for a strong performance at the United States Grand Prix. However, in the very next race in Mexico, Lawson found himself on the wrong side of Marko’s favor.
In a close battle with Sergio Perez, Lawson aggressively defended his position, resulting in contact that damaged Perez’s car and ended his race in 17th place. This incident quickly changed Marko’s opinion, who expressed frustration over Lawson’s “too strong” defense against Perez, stressing that as sister teams, such clashes should be avoided.
Perez, who has been struggling to reach the podium since April, lost valuable points due to the collision, worsening his already challenging season. Red Bull’s Christian Horner remarked that Lawson’s actions were a lesson in race dynamics and sportsmanship, emphasizing the unfortunate outcome for Perez, who had been aiming for a turnaround in his season. Lawson’s apology to Perez did little to change the outcome, as the contact added to Red Bull’s Constructors’ Championship woes, allowing Ferrari to overtake them for second place.
The incident has sparked speculation about Perez’s future with Red Bull, as his performance slump extends to 15 races without a podium finish. Despite his recent contract renewal, Perez’s position appears uncertain, especially as Red Bull feels the pressure to maintain a competitive edge in the Constructors’ standings. Marko, however, refrained from commenting definitively on Perez’s future, attributing his lackluster race result to the damage sustained in the collision with Lawson rather than any performance issues.
Marko further detailed the extent of Perez’s car damage, noting that it lost approximately 60 points of downforce, making it uncompetitive. This damage, coupled with issues setting up the car to optimize performance on various tires, prevented Perez from delivering a strong finish. Marko conceded that with the significant loss of downforce, Perez had no opportunity to push the car to its limit, which was frustrating for both the driver and the team.
Looking ahead, Marko and Red Bull’s leadership plan to assess Perez’s results over the final four races before making any decisions about his future. While Perez’s contract is technically secure, Red Bull’s management remains cautious, as the collision incident has raised doubts about both Lawson’s approach to intra-team dynamics and Perez’s ability to recover his form under Red Bull’s high-pressure environment.