The week of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix began with massive news on the driver market, as Red Bull announced a new two-year contract with Sergio Pérez, keeping the driver alongside Max Verstappen through the 2026 season.
And now one of the other options for that seat has apparently solidified his own future within the Red Bull family.
Speaking with the media ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Dr. Helmut Marko stated that Yuki Tsunoda’s position with Visa Cash App RB F1 Team — Red Bull’s sister team on the F1 grid — is set for next year.
“Yuki Tsunoda is set, that’s clear,” said Marko when speaking with Austrian outlet Kleine Zeitung on Thursday.
However, this might touch off a final two-way battle between Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson for the final spot in the Red Bull family. With three of the four seats set — Verstappen and Pérez at Red Bull and now apparently Tsunoda at VCARB — The final spot at VCARB has those two drivers as contenders.
And as Marko noted recently, and again when speaking with Kleine Zeitung, Lawson’s contract allows him the option of signing elsewhere if he does not get a seat within the Red Bull family next year.
“There is a clause with Lawson,” said Marko. “If we don’t offer him an active seat, he’ll be free for other teams.”
Hypothetically speaking, teams with open spots for 2025 may be very intrigued about adding Lawson. For example Alpine, which has at least one open spot next year with the news that the team and Esteban Ocon were parting ways at the end of the current season, could consider Lawson for that seat should he be frozen out of a spot at VCARB next year.
Other teams that have yet to finalize their lineup for 2025, such as Haas and Williams, could also be interested.
