F1 live updates: Liam Lawson starts fifth at the Brazilian Grand Prix

Live coverage as Liam Lawson starts fifth at the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Brazil

‘Know all the facts’: Deadline set for Red Bull’s Lawson v Perez F1 decision

Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s senior advisor, set the deadline Formula oneThe Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to determine which of Sergio Perez or Liam Lawson will be Max Verstappen’s partner in 2025.

With Formula 1 currently in Brazil for this weekend Grand Prix and sprint raceKiwi Lawson and Mexican Perez get another chance to show their wares against each other.

Despite Red Bull’s senior team having a car that puts Verstappen at the top of the drivers’ championship, Perez trails his teammate by 216 points after Sunday morning’s sprint race – in the same car.

Lawson is locked up alone at RB – Red Bull’s subsidiary team – until the end of the current Formula 1 season. But the Herald understands that the contract is just a way to put pressure on the Kiwi to determine which team he will drive for in 2025.

Since his return to Formula 1, Lawson has finishing in ninth place during the American Grand Prix in Austin, before beating Perez in his home race in Mexico – albeit with the pair crossing the line in 16th and 17th respectively.

And although Lawson managed to qualify eighth for Brazil’s sprint race on Saturday, Perez got his back by finishing eighth to the Kiwi’s ninth, depriving him of the last available point.

Either way, the two drivers shouldn’t be as close as they are on the track. Despite Perez’s problems dropping his team from first to third behind McLaren and Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull has a 482-point lead over their sister team.

But with a difference of tens of millions of dollars between first and third place, Red Bull has arguably left it too late in removing Perez from the top to make any difference, with just four Grands Prix remaining in 2024.

However, speaking to Sky Sport Italy, Marko outlined that the decision on Perez’s future will only come at the end of the season.

“Checo (Perez) has a contract for next year, but we are evaluating the whole situation,” the Austrian said. “After Abu Dhabi we will know all the facts and we will make our decision.

“Liam has made a very positive return. He is a tough driver in the race, sometimes even too much, as happened with Checo, but I think it was impressive.”

Marko has been an outspoken advocate for Lawson all season, and earlier this year correctly stated that the Kiwi would sit in a Red Bull seat ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.

Red Bull is no stranger to firing drivers. Lawson was only brought in this season after Marko and Christian Horner gave Ricciardo the ax after the Singapore Grand Prix.

Elsewhere on the grid, the duo of Pierre Gasly (now at Alpine) and Alex Albon (now at Williams) were also eliminated, despite their points difference being much smaller than that of Perez compared to Verstappen.

Perhaps in another sign of what lies ahead for Perez, it is now widely speculated that Red Bull will replace current Williams driver Franco Colapinto.

Since replacing Logan Sargeant After the Dutch Grand Prix, Colapinto has scored five championship points, thanks to an eighth place in Monza and a tenth place in Austin.

That success has made Colapinto a hot item on the grid as Williams will be unable to keep him in 2025 after linking up with driver duo Albon and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

The Herald understands that no driver outside Red Bull’s own program will be considered to partner Verstappen, meaning Colapinto would join RB, with Lawson the likely candidate to move up.

Lawson’s current teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, is unlikely to be taken into consideration for the senior Red Bull drive, as he is likely to leave the team in 2026, along with major lender and engine supplier Honda.

However, when it comes to Lawson or Colapinto, Marko reiterates that any decision will come at the end of the season.

‘Between Franco and Liam? We will make our assessments and decide after Abu Dhabi,” Marko continued.

“We have a contract with Lawson and we can put him in any team we want. Colapinto has a contract with Williams and must first of all be free of all obligations.”

Should Colapinto not move to RB, reserve driver Isack Hadjar would likely move up after representing Red Bull in the junior categories.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is ​​the last race of 2024 in Formula 1 and will be held on December 9 (NZT).

After the Grand Prix, Formula 1 will remain in the UAE to complete post-season testing, when Tsunoda and Hadjar will get behind the wheel of the Red Bull and RB respectively.

Alex Powell is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016 and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.