‘Thank God it’s not my decision’ – VCARB boss shares Lawson Red Bull feedback as Perez pressure mounts

VCARB boss Peter Bayer is grateful he’s not the one who has to decide if Sergio Perez is ousted in favour of Liam Lawson over the summer break.

Already said to be considering a mid-season driver swap, Perez didn’t do himself any favours in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix when he crashed at Turn 8.

‘It’s a slap in the face for Sergio Perez to be eliminated’

Taking too much kerb, the under-fire Red Bull driver lost control of the RB20 and crashed heavily, putting him out of qualifying at the very first hurdle.

It was the fourth time in six races that Perez failed to make it out of Q1, which has cost him dearly in the championship as he scored just 11 points since his Monaco Q1 exit. His team-mate Max Verstappen brought in 94 points.

Helmut Marko confirmed after Perez’s latest crash that Red Bull will sit down in the summer break to discuss their driver situation with team boss Chrisitan Horner saying they “cannot run on one leg” .

While it was initially suggested Perez could make way for VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo, more recently it is thought that it is reserve driver Lawson who is leading the running to replace Perez.

The good news for Red Bull is the Kiwi told Bayer after his recent Silverstone test in the Red Bull that he feels the RB20 is an “incredibly forgiving” car compared to the VCARB.

“Thank God it’s not my decision, it’s up to Helmut and Christian,” VCARB boss Bayer told Motorsport-Total.com .

“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.

“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.”

“It’s not my decision, but each of the guys is confident enough to drive a car like that. Yuki (Tsunoda) also said it in the press conference, it’s part of the training to get into a car like that and then risk everything and get going.”

The latest from Red Bull on Sergio Perez’s F1 future

👉 Christian Horner’s blunt verdict as Sergio Perez Hungarian GP shunt escalates Red Bull pressure

👉 Sergio Perez Red Bull future jeopardy intensifies as Helmut Marko confirms ‘there will be a meeting’

Bayer reckons Perez’s crash could not have come at a worse time for the six-time Grand Prix winner.

“It’s a slap in the face for Checo to be eliminated here in Q1,” he said.

“There is still one race to come and we were told to keep a low profile until then. We are trying to get this issue out of our heads, also to perhaps take the pressure off the drivers.

“But it is difficult, he will not sleep well. I am quite sure of that.”

Red Bull won’t only be looking at their driver situation for the final 10 races of this season, the summer break decision will also affect what happens next year.

“There is a lot to discuss,” Bayer conceded. “The Red Bull Racing issue is up for discussion, for us it’s 2025. There is the question of timing: do you take your time or give yourself a deadline. Is it summer or sometime in October? We have to look at that.”

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