What we know about Liam Lawson’s ride at Silverstone in Red Bull’s existing F1 car.
Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson gets behind the wheel of his current F1 car at Silverstone today. Here’s what we know about the launch.
Lawson, who inspired a five-round appearance for AlphaTauri (now RB) last season when Daniel Ricciardo was sidelined through injury, will have the chance to test the 2024 Red Bull challenger at Silverstone on a filming day today.
This will be the time for two promotional days authorized through Red Bull this year. Lawson will be limited to just 200km – the 33 laps of the British Grand Prix International Circuit – on specially designed Pirelli tires that differ from the compounds used on a popular Grand Prix weekend.
A lot of hype has surrounded Lawson’s control given the intensification of hypotheses about Sergio Perez’s long run at Red Bull amid disappointing form and performances.
The tension surrounding Perez has intensified after his total of just 11 problems in the last five races. The 34-year-old Mexican suffered an embarrassing start in Q1 at Silverstone and could finish 17th in the race.
Perez has finished on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April and is yet to win a race this year. For his part, his teammate Max Verstappen has achieved seven victories in 12 races.
As a result, Perez dropped to sixth in the drivers’ championship (the McLaren and Ferrari drivers) and dug himself up 137 times more than Verstappen.
Perez’s poor performance came at a time when Red Bull has faced intense pressure from rivals in recent races, leaving the reigning world champions 71 points ahead of Ferrari in the standings. Builders.
This only fueled rumors that Red Bull was contemplating replacing Perez, who just signed a new two-year deal last month. Perez is believed to have inserted several performance-related clauses into his most recent contract that would allow Red Bull to fire him, potentially during the current campaign.
Pérez now has two races (the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix) before F1 enters its annual summer shutdown in August.
RB’s pair of Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda would naturally be connected to Perez’s seat given that they race for sister team Red Bull, however, Ricciardo’s irregular form has left marks throughout his long career in F1 and he is the right replacement. Meanwhile, Tsunoda has already secured a contract to stay at RB until 2025 after an impressive start to the campaign.
Enter the level on the right, Lawson. The 22-year-old Kiwi’s call-up has been added to the equation, especially as it has been revealed that he will be the RB20 at Silverstone. A second circular of the existing RB is planned for Imola the week after the Belgian Grand Prix.
While Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted Perez’s current form was “unsustainable”, he downplayed Lawson’s exit at Silverstone, describing it as a planned “aerodynamic test”. for some time.
“These tests have been planned for a long time, so they have not just emerged, but have been planned for a few months,” Horner insisted to Sky Sports.
“Liam is our reserve and control driver, it’s his job. But Checo, it was a terrible weekend for him. “
Comparisons have been made to Ricciardo’s control at Silverstone last year, which in the end paved the way for a wonderful return to the F1 grid with AlphaTauri replacing Nyck de Vries.
But the two tests are very different. 12 months ago, Ricciardo was testing Pirelli tires on the 2023 Red Bull car, meaning he was able to use the compounds used in the season. This provided a fairer understanding to evaluate the Australian against other Red Bull drivers.
Although Lawson’s two tests are probably less decisive, there’s no denying that he still has a chance to impress Red Bull and potentially claim Perez’s seat.
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