The game of musical chairs in Formula 1 is far from over. Carlos Sainz holds the driver market in an iron grip, but the general expectation is that all the pieces of the puzzle will fall together once he has made his choice.
Haas, Williams, Alpine, Stake F1/Audi as well as RB still have seats to allocate, as does Aston Martin, although it appears that Lance Stroll will stay on there.
The seat at RB in particular is a thorny issue. Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson are still in the race and the team, in cooperation with Red Bull, is taking all the time it needs to make a decision.
Ricciardo did not start the season great, but showed improvement in Canada. The Australian qualified fifth and picked up points despite a false start.
A contract extension thus came a little closer, he himself admitted. The immediate consequence, however, is that Red Bull is in danger of losing Lawson.
Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko revealed early this year that the New Zealander has a clause in his contract and may look around if Red Bull does not offer him a seat for 2025.
At the moment, Ricciardo appears to be in pole position for a longer stay at RB, automatically leaving no room for Lawson. Yuki Tsunoda recently extended his contract and will hold the other seat for another year.
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Defeat
Should Lawson leave the Red Bull programme and work elsewhere, it would be a huge loss. The driver was allowed to fill in last season when Ricciardo broke his wrist at Zandvoort and left an excellent impression.
Lawson picked up points in blistering hot Singapore and put Tsunoda through his paces for five races. A top talent finally broke through, you would say, but that is not the case.
If RB sticks with Ricciardo, it does send a signal to other drivers within the Red Bull junior programme.
The team used to always be the Valhalla for top talent, but is now increasingly opting for experience to maximise performance.
Of course, Ricciardo has made his mark in Formula 1, but as a talent, his chances of a spot in F1 have diminished.
For now, it is unclear what will happen to Lawson. He still has a chance at the RB seat, of course, but has been in the waiting room for a long time.
The options are undoubtedly being discussed behind the scenes, as Red Bull is also looking for a suitable solution.
The Milton Keynes-based team, along with RB, must make an important decision as a top talent threatens to close the door behind them.
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