Next week will see a crucial test between two candidates for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull F1 seat, as the Milton Keynes-based squad’s driver lineup remains uncertain.
Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo will be there for the test to gather data on how the two perform under mirrored circumstances.
After the British Grand Prix, Lawson, who is serving as a backup driver for the Red Bull and RB teams this year, went on an RB20 test drive.
Due to F1 regulations, the test was just 200 kilometers long, so the New Zealander did not have much opportunity to showcase his abilities. Verstappen was also competing.
According to RacingNews365, the 22-year-old will get another chance to drive an F1 vehicle on Wednesday, July 31, in Imola, where Daniel Ricciardo will also be in attendance.
Both drivers will operate the 2022 AlphaTauri AT03, and Sergio Perez is having form issues at Red Bull right now, which will be tested.
The squad will get a rare chance to see who would be prepared to take over the position if Perez were to be fired, even if it is uncertain that Red Bull will fire him.
Tsunoda also present at Imola
Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo’s current teammate in the back, has already confirmed that he will be with the squad in Imola the following year.
The Japanese driver, on the other hand, will only be able to finish one day of filming in the current RB challenger instead of the two-year-old vehicle that Lawson and Ricciardo will be tested in.
Despite Tsunoda’s impressive performance at RB this season, it appears he is not on the shortlist of potential Perez replacements.
Hence, it appears that Lawson and Ricciardo will square off in the primary fight at Imola, which will be significant even if Red Bull decides to keep Perez in the future.
Since his strong substitute performances in the previous season, Lawson has been associated with a full-time F1 drive; it is possible that he may replace Ricciardo at the sibling RB team.
Lawson’s talents have drawn interest from other teams as well, so the’shoot-out’ at Imola will provide Red Bull some important information to consider when deciding on its driver lineup for the future.