The 2024 Formula 1 season has ended but there are still question marks over how the grid will look at the beginning of next year.
That’s because RB – and sister team Red Bull – have yet to confirm which four drivers will turn out for them at the Australian Grand Prix in March 2025.
Max Verstappen is confirmed at Red Bull and has a contract until the end of 2028 but that’s where the certainty appears to end.
Sergio Perez’s future is under serious threat following a year of underperformance where he’s finished eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Yuki Tsunoda is an option to replace Perez and is testing Red Bull’s car for the first time during the 2024 post-season test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
His RB teammate Liam Lawson is the favourite to replace Perez, although he doesnt currently have a contract to race for either team for the 2025 campaign.
Jolyon Palmer was speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast and discussed who he would replace Perez with for next season.
Jolyon Palmer thinks Red Bull will promote Liam Lawson over Yuki Tsunoda in Sergio Perez’s seat
Talking about the conundrum facing Red Bull, Palmer said: “For any replacement, it’s going to be savagely hard because you’ve got Max Verstappen on the other side of the garage who is, I think, the best driver in the field and an absolute force of nature.
“So, whether it’s a Tsunoda, a Lawson, a Bottas, someone else, whoever it is, is going to get beaten by Verstappen.
“I think that’s a fact but they have to do better than Perez and I think anyone would at this point.
“Maybe not because they’re naturally more talented than Checo, but Checo has just been beaten up for four years in that role and I think someone else could have a chance now to get beaten up instead.”
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Palmer then addressed who he thought who get the call-up and said: “I’d promote Tsunoda but I think Lawson will be Verstappen’s teammate next year which is so tough on Lawson who’s only just completed a handful of Grand Prix.
“He’s going to be into the lion’s den but I think that seems to be the way it’s heading.”
Yuki Tsunoda finally getting his chance to impress Red Bull in the 2024 post-season test
Tsunoda has been part of the Red Bull set-up for four seasons now, but his prospects of a promotion still seem unlikely at best.
Aside from a very rare show run, Tsunoda has never been give the opportunity to properly test a Red Bull car in that time.
However, on Tuesday, Red Bull finally promoted the Japanese driver into the RB20 to see how he fared.
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Tsunoda’s record against Lawson this season suggests he’s the faster driver out of the pair right now.
He’s outqualified him during all six races they’ve competed together this year, and outscored him eight points to four since Lawson’s second debut in Austin.
However, Christian Horner has reservations about Tsunoda, while Helmut Marko would love to promote Lawson having backed him to replace Daniel Ricciardo much earlier in the year.
A shareholders meeting took place on Monday at Red Bull to determine how their teams will line up next year, so it won’t be long until the 2025 grid is finally completed.
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