Red Bull firing Sergio Perez for Liam Lawson but not giving Yuki Tsunoda a chance lacks merit
If reports are to be believed, Sergio Perez is more or less on his way out of Red Bull and will be replaced by Liam Lawson, not Yuki Tsunoda. The F1 Abu Dhabi GP was clear evidence of the driver and the team drawing the line in the sand when it comes to what direction they want to take next.
Perez has been a part of the team since 2021. He was one of the catalysts that helped Max Verstappen secure the title that season. He was also one of the key parts of the team in the next few years, as every year he's been a part of the team, Red Bull has tasted success.
With that being said, it won't come as a surprise that many feel Perez let Red Bull down in 2024 when it comes to securing the Constructors championship. The driver was not able to perform at a high enough level compared to his teammate, and it's safe to say that it cost the team.
Sergio Perez, in all probability, is going to lose his position within the team, but it does raise the question of who Red Bull is choosing to be his replacement. It does appear that Liam Lawson got the nod over Yuki Tsunoda for the second seat on the team. The Kiwi was brought in to replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB to evaluate how good a job he can do in the car and whether he could be the one who could partner Verstappen.
If reports are to be believed, according to Red Bull, Lawson has done enough to replace Perez and at the same time get the nod over Tsunoda. However, if we look at the track record and the kind of performances the duo has put together in their time together, it just reads a completely different story. It might even be safe to say that the decision at this stage completely lacks merit.
#1 Continuing with Sergio Perez is out of the question
The first thing we have to do before we talk about Sergio Perez's replacement is rule him completely out of the conversation. To do that, it's safe to say that the drivers' performances this season have been below par. So much so that even Christian Horner acknowledged early this past weekend that extending Perez's contract early in the year was a bad call.
In the 24-race calendar, Perez has not finished ahead of Max Verstappen even once. What's even more depressing is that this is even though there have been races in 2024 where Verstappen has been penalized or has made contact.
The F1 ecosystem has moved on from the one where a designated no. 1 and no. 2 driver dynamic helped bring overall success. That's not true in a highly competitive grid right now, and it does appear that even Red Bull has realized that the outdated approach is just not going to work.
#2 Yuki Tsunoda vs Liam Lawson battle has favored the Japanese driver
Now comes the bigger part of the debate between the two contenders. Liam Lawson has been impressive this season in the limited opportunities that he's had. At the same time, however, we cannot ignore the fact that Yuki Tsunoda, even though the difference is in tenths, has been the faster of the two drivers.
Lawson has done six races with RB this season, and it has had six qualifying sessions for the Grand Prix and two for the sprint. Tsunoda's overall record against Lawson in qualifying is 6-2 in the Japanese driver's favor. If we only look at the qualifying sessions for the Grand Prix, it's a clean sweep for Tsunoda.
In terms of overall pace, Lawson is not too far off what Tsunoda is accomplishing, but it's hard to deny that the Japanese driver has been the faster one. To add to this, if we try to go back and look at some of the performances that stand out, it is once again the Japanese driver who's got a better overall record. Be it the qualifying session in Brazil or the race in Las Vegas, Tsunoda has had better and bigger moments in the spotlight compared to Lawson.
#3 The debate around performance potential and temperament
We've had these question marks over Yuki Tsunoda from not only the media but also from Helmut Marko, who has pointed out his temperament and consistency as the key areas that held him back from being Sergio Perez's replacement. On that front, it is up to Red Bull to take a call because if the team doesn't think Tsunoda has the temperament to replace Perez, then it has the data that help it reach this conclusion.
With that being said, one has to question what Red Bull is looking for in its drivers. Is it the fastest possible driver available? Or is it someone who's temperamentally capable of being alongside Max Verstappen?
Lest we forget, the six-race period from Liam Lawson has seen multiple incidents with drivers, with many of them calling him out and his driving standards in general. We've had Fernando Alonso call him out, we've had Perez, and we've even had Franco Colapinto being left unimpressed with Lawson's driving antics. Even Lawson is not bulletproof when it comes to ruffling a few feathers either.
#4 The harsh reality
Finally, let's address the key reason why Liam Lawson gets the nod over Yuki Tsunoda to replace Sergio Perez. The reason primarily has to do with the fact that the Japanese driver was a Honda-backed fixture in the team. The power unit supplier played a major role in Tsunoda getting the RB/AlphaTauri seat. After 2025, however, the partnership with the Japanese manufacturer comes to an end. When that happens, the relationship with Tsunoda also ends.
This is arguably one of the worst-kept secrets at Red Bull, and we're going to see this play out in 2025 as well. The unfortunate reality of Red Bull's pick to replace Perez is not because of merit but because of affiliation.