“Rocking the establishment” warning to Red Bull over replacing Sergio Perez

Red Bull have been told that potentially replacing Sergio Perez is a “delicate process”.

The infamously ruthless F1 constructors’ champions axed Daniel Ricciardo from their RB sister team in favour of Liam Lawson this season.

But they backed Perez at the midway stage when he was under immense pressure to lose his race seat.

Lawson’s presence on the F1 grid means he can effectively audition for Perez’s seat in 2025.

Williams' Franco Colapinto has also been linked with a Red Bull move.

“He’s got to beat Yuki Tsunoda comprehensively,” Anthony Davidson told the Sky F1 podcast about Lawson.

“He’s got to wow Red Bull to give them the confidence that they’re looking for, to potentially replace Perez.

“That will take some convincing because he has stood the test of time so far.

“He’s a good teammate for Max. Max enjoys having him there. He’s a known quantity for Max.

“You don’t want someone rocking the establishment. It’s a delicate process that Red Bull are going through.

“It’s exciting that they’ve got this young driver, Lawson, that has come along. They do have young drivers waiting in the wings, it is proof that the Red Bull young driver programme does work.

“Look at other categories - Jean Eric Vergne, Sebastien Buemi, Antonio Felix Da Costa - who have gone on to be world champions in their own right. Proof that it works.

“Whether they are given enough time or not when they arrive in F1? That’s a different question.

“Maybe that side of things isn’t managed as well.

“But it’s a difficult process, it’s hard to be in their position with these super talents waiting in the wings.”

Perez is contracted for 2025 but the scrutiny on his performances will not relent.

His bad patch of form midway through this year allowed McLaren and Ferrari to overtake Red Bull in the constructors’.