On Thursday Liam Lawson will climb into the RB20 to take the monitor at Silverstone. The session is one in all Red Bull’s allotted “filming” days for the 2024 season, and the second such program the group has applied this yr.
But it comes as questions persist about their driver lineup for the second half of the season.
Lawson’s Silverstone shakedown of the RB20 was beforehand scheduled and a part of Lawson’s reserve duties with the group, and never just lately added to Red Bull’s calendar. But the timing couldn’t be worse from a hypothesis standpoint, because it comes on the heels of a troublesome tripleheader for Sergio Pérez that has renewed concern that the Red Bull driver might be dropped from the group as Red Bull fends off challenges atop the Formula 1 grid.
Over the three races of the tripleheader, Pérez banked just 11 factors and was outscored by Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg who added 16 to his account over the identical stretch. That has led to some voices across the sport questioning if Pérez will nonetheless be within the RB20 following the summer time break. “They can’t let it go on ceaselessly. If on the subsequent race he doesn’t rating factors once more, quickly sufficient, they must get him out of the automotive and put another person in,” said Jenson Button following the British Grand Prix. “It’s not a pleasant feeling for a driver. It’s powerful. For a driver it’s horrible however for them the constructors’ is vital.”
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner assured the media final weekend that the exams had been deliberate for months prematurely, and never simply added to the schedule on account of Pérez’s type.
“Those exams have been deliberate for a while in order that they’re not one thing which have simply sprung up, they’ve been deliberate for a few months now,” stated Horner to Sky Sports F1 following the British Grand Prix.
However, Horner additionally went on to say that Pérez’s present type is “unsustainable” if Red Bull goes to mount a profitable title protection.
“[Pérez] is aware of it’s unsustainable to not be scoring factors – we have now to be scoring factors in that automotive, and he is aware of that,” stated Horner after the British Grand Prix. “He is aware of his function and his goal, so no person is extra keen than Checo to seek out his type once more.
“It’s one thing we’re aware of, that to win the Constructors’ Championship you want each automobiles scoring.”
The Red Bull boss went on to notice that the strain is barely growing on Pérez, on account of his “underdelivering” within the RB20.
“Checo, after all, he’s beneath strain – that’s regular in Formula 1 – however whenever you’re underdelivering, that strain solely mounts, and he’s conscious of that,” added Horner on Sunday. “He is aware of that.”
Red Bull thought they had been placing questions on Pérez’s future to mattress with the brand new contract that was introduced forward of the Canadian Grand Prix. But this run of poor type has solely seen these questions renewed, whereas groups equivalent to Ferrari, McLaren, and just lately Mercedes have put continued strain on your complete group on the prime of the grid.
And now Lawson is climbing into the RB20.
How handy.
