Red Bull driver Sergio Perez signed a new deal recently but is still under threat.
Anthony Davidson has described Liam Lawson as “phenomenal” and suggested the New Zealander was still the favourite to take Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat.
Sergio Perez continues to be under threat after a lacklustre first half of the 2024 season and with Lawson watching on from the background, former Toyota driver Davidson believes Lawson represents a good replacement.
Anthony Davidson bigs up Liam Lawson’s Red Bull chances
Lawson is again on reserve duty this season but it was around this time last year when he was thrust into the limelight due to Daniel Ricciardo’s injury at Zandvoort.
With the Australian fully fit this time round, Lawson’s most realistic mid-season opportunity is at Red Bull with Perez under an enormous amount of pressure.
Red Bull are said to be waiting until the summer break to make a decision but Davidson believes in Lawson, the team have a strong replacement.
“He was impressive, of course he was,” Davidson said on Sky F1. “And I think that’s why we’re all still talking about him and almost expecting him to be the one to fill Sergio Perez’s seat, if he were to leave or be pushed out of the team.
“He was feisty. He was thrown into the deep end and he swam very well and not just took the fight to Yuki Tsunoda, he beat him pretty much and he knocked out Max Verstappen in Singapore qualifying.
“He was phenomenal and it wasn’t just one race, he did it multiple times. So he caused a stir and we’re excited to see him back in Formula 1 as a fully fledged race driver.”
VCARB boss Peter Bayer though has said “thank God it’s not my decision”, declaring Perez’s future was “up to Helmut and Christian.”
“Personally speaking, it’s like everything in life, every huge challenge is a huge opportunity. In this sport, that’s just the way it is,” Bayer told Motorsport-Total.com.
“Liam proved last year that he can handle the pressure under the most adverse circumstances.
“I spoke to him because he drove the Red Bull last week. He said that the car was really cool to drive because it was incredibly forgiving compared to our car. It is less prone to errors.
“At the same time, it drives incredibly sharply when you get to the front. It is a car that you have to master.”
