Multiple Formula 1 drivers are still battling for their futures with just two races to go. That’s because neither Red Bull team have finalised their line-up.
Sergio Perez is desperately trying to hang onto his seat alongside newly-crowned world champion Max Verstappen. But since his last top-five finish at the start of May (P4 in the Miami Grand Prix), Perez’s results simply haven’t been good enough to justify staying on.
Red Bull may not base the decision solely on his performance, though. Perez’s contract is watertight in the eyes of the employment court, so it may require a huge payoff.
Indeed, reports have claimed Perez is demanding £15.7m from Red Bull to walk away. The deal he signed in June covered 2025 and included a 2026 option too.
Danica Patrick has urged Perez to retire but he has little incentive to do so, unless he wants to protect his reputation. Given the cost of a change, the alternatives must offer Christian Horner a significant upgrade.
Liam Lawson has been linked with the seat most heavily, though RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda is refusing to give up hope. Williams driver Franco Colapinto has an outside chance.
Giedo van der Garde says Franco Colapinto may have cost himself 2025 seat
Colapinto is on the Formula 1 driver market because Williams have already locked in Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz for 2025. Expectations were limited when he replaced Logan Sargeant at the end of August.
But Christian Horner raved about Colapinto’s ‘exceptional’ start as he scored four points in just his second race in Azerbaijan. He notched another in Austin and finished in the top 12 in each of his first five Grands Prix.
However, the past couple of events have been more difficult. Colapinto crashed out of both qualifying and the race in Sao Paulo – a weekend where Williams suffered seven figures’ worth of damage – and then hit the wall again in Q2 in Las Vegas.
Speaking on De Race Show, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde condemned Colapinto for the crash. Williams will ‘probably’ breach the budget cap after their latest accident, which reduces the Argentine’s stock considerably.
“That’s a stupid crash,” he said. “That’s a big mistake, isn’t it? That’s a really big mistake. You’ve already beaten your teammate in Q1. You have to be able to put in a good lap to even get through to Q3.
“On the other side, the team don’t have that many parts, since they had a lot of crashes at the last race. At that point in qualifying, at that corner, he turned in too early. It’s really a stupid mistake. I think he threw away his seat for next year.”
Red Bull employee makes pointed reference to Williams damage record amid Franco Colapinto rumours
Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff visited Williams during the Las Vegas weekend. It’s unclear whether this was before or after the aforementioned crash, but he was almost certainly discussing Colapinto.
It may be wise to place Colapinto at RB next to Tsunoda at first. That would allow him to continue his development without the pressure of partnering Verstappen.
That plan is only viable if Red Bull have faith in Lawson. The 22-year-old also struggled in Nevada, finishing 16th while his teammate scored points.
Perez has accrued the highest damage costs this year, but Red Bull simulator driver Rudy van Buren says his record doesn’t look ‘too bad’ compared to his Williams counterparts. Still, it’s clear that experience is no guarantee of reliability.
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