Marko reveals surprise contenders for RB promotion

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has suggested RB has several options regarding its driver line-up for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Currently, the Red Bull sister team is fielding Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, naming an unchanged pairing from the end of last year's campaign.

However, waiting on the sidelines is Liam Lawson who impressed when he stood in for an injured Ricciardo at five rounds last year.

The New Zealander is in contention for a promotion to a full-time RB seat next year and has warned the team he will look elsewhere if he doesn't receive a call-up.

However, in addition to Lawson on the sidelines, Marko detailed there are other options available.

"It's a luxury problem,” Marko told motorsport.com. "We have another Honda driver besides Tsunoda who is finishing good races and that is Ayumu Iwasa.

“He has not won a race yet this year (in the Japanese Super Formula category) because he had two bad starts, but he is still third in the championship. 

“Tsunoda and Iwasa are two Japanese drivers who have long-term contracts with us, so we'll have to see how that continues in the long run."

When asked what Iwasa must do to qualify for a drive in F1, Marko replied: “Winning the Super Formula championship. 

“So let's see how he wins it first. His first race was not good, but in the second race he was actually the best driver."

However, also in contention is Isack Hadjar who took part in two FP1 sessions last year with AlphaTauri and Red Bull respectively.

“We have Isack Hadjar who is doing very well in Formula 2 and also Josep Maria Marti, although he is still making too many mistakes. 

“With Hadjar, you have to remember that he was spun around in the first race and he has also had technical problems twice, while driving in a winning position. 

“He's still second in the championship, so he's definitely one of the fastest and most consistent guys."