Visa Cash App RB driver Liam Lawson has two Formula 1 race weekends left to secure a 2025 race seat.
The Qatar Grand Prix and the finale in Abu Dhabi provide Liam Lawson with ample opportunity to add to the points he scored on his return to F1 in Austin.
In his short time back on the grid, Lawson has clashed with Fernando Alonso and gone wheel-to-wheel with Sergio Perez.
Lawson was warned about racing Kevin Magnussen by Martin Brundle during the most recent race in Las Vegas where he had his most difficult weekend back on the grid thus far.
The young Kiwi knows a full-time F1 contract is tantalisingly close with RB yet to confirm their second driver alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
That position is reserved for Lawson, but Perez’s struggles with the senior Red Bull team mean they’ve held off confirming where the 22-year-old will be racing in 2025.
Journalist Lawrence Barretto was speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast and discussed Lawson’s future.
He explained what is ‘critical’ for Lawson to do if he wants to stand a chance of being Max Verstappen’s teammate next season.
Liam Lawson told the ‘critical’ job he must do to earn Red Bull promotion
Barretto was asked about the young drivers who took part in the race in Las Vegas and in particular, those linked with the second Red Bull seat and said: “I did think that this was going to be a big weekend for Franco because after those two crashes in Brazil, it’s always super important, isn’t it, to bounce back at that next weekend?
“He kind of did so in Baku when he had that little off in practice and he bounced back and scored points.
“He hasn’t managed to have that bounce back this weekend. So actually, these final two races that he gets to perform for Williams are significant.
“I think for Liam, I think we’ve seen enough from him in the performances that we had last year and this year to suggest that he is a very good Grand Prix driver.
READ MORE: Who is Visa Cash App RB driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
“But like you said, the pressure is different now because there is a seat at the top table at Red Bull, whether or not that is next year or in the years to come.
“And it will be critical for him to frankly beat Yuki in these next couple of races.
“So we’ve talked about, you know, the battle for P6, but there are so many other significant storylines that are really quite tasty headed into these last couple of races.”
RB must consider who they want to replace Liam Lawson if he earns Red Bull promotion
Perez’s future will be determined after the final race in Abu Dhabi but it’s unclear whether a decision has already been reached.
Perez is confident he’ll be at Red Bull next year, but his struggles are very difficult to ignore at this point.
The 34-year-old is going to finish more than 250 points behind his teammate and even if he had managed to halve that decision, Red Bull would be clear favourites to win the Constructors’ Championship.
READ MORE: All to know about Visa Cash App RB from team principal to Red Bull affiliation
If Lawson is promoted into the Red Bull seat, Perez is unlikely to want to stick around to take part in a straight swap.
Isack Hadjar is the driver next in line to race for RB, but the availability of Franco Colapinto at Williams is an intriguing prospect.
It may explain why Red Bull’s CEO was spotted with Williams during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
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