Red Bull confirm F1 2025 driver timeline as Ricciardo and Lawson face decision time

Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko has confirmed that a decision on Yuki Tsunoda’s VCARB team-mate for F1 2025 will be announced between the next two races in Singapore and the United States.

It comes as Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson face a nervous wait for a decision on their F1 futures.

Red Bull to make VCARB driver decision between Singapore and Austin

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Having tied Tsunoda to a new contract ahead of June’s Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull junior team VCARB are yet to confirm the identity of the Japanese driver’s team-mate for next season.

The fight for the second seat is thought to be between eight-time race winner Ricciardo and Lawson, Red Bull’s highly rated reserve driver, who impressed in a five-race cameo while standing in for the injured Ricciardo in mid-2023.

Marko indicated in June that Lawson is highly likely to be promoted to a permanent seat for F1 2025, revealing Red Bull’s shareholders are keen to see VCARB return to its Toro Rosso roots as a team to train young drivers.

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The Red Bull adviser went on to claim last month that Lawson “will definitely be in one of our cars next year” in a further boost to the 22-year-old’s hopes.

However, Ricciardo, who enjoyed a successful five-year spell with Red Bull Racing between 2014 and 2018, responded by producing his best run of results since his F1 comeback in 2023, scoring points in three of the six races leading into the summer break.

The 35-year-old was briefly linked with a return to Red Bull’s senior team ahead of the August shutdown before the decision was made to retain Sergio Perez entering the second half of the season.

It remains to be seen whether Red Bull will reconsider their stance on Perez as the final seven races of the season unfold and ahead of F1 2025.

PlanetF1.com understands that a clause in Lawson’s contract, which is believed to expire in the middle of this month, will allow the New Zealander to cut ties with Red Bull entirely if he is not promoted to a permanent seat for F1 2025, increasing the pressure on the team to use him or lose him.

Speaking at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Marko confirmed that a decision on the second VCARB seat will be communicated in the four-week break between this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix and the following round in Austin, Texas, on October 20.

“The second [VCARB] driver will be announced after Singapore. Between Singapore and Austin. Not during the Texas weekend, but before,” Marko is quoted as saying by the Italian edition of Motorsport.com .

Responding to Marko’s comments that Lawson is assured of a seat with one of Red Bull’s teams at Zandvoort, Ricciardo expressed his confidence that “they’ll find a spot for me somewhere” if his performances are worthy of a spot in F1.

And he insisted that he has no interest in seeking opportunities elsewhere on the grid, confirming that he is “all in” on Red Bull for F1 2025.

He told media including PlanetF1.com: “It’s OK.

“I still know that performance is my best friend and that if I do what I know I can do and capable of, then I think it puts me in a very good position to stay somewhere in the family for next year. I’ve just got to focus on that.

“Speaking of Liam, I got to see him drive the car last year and I do think he did a great job.

“I do think he is worthy of a seat on the grid, so in a way, I’m happy for him. If he is guaranteed a seat next year, then I think that’s good because he is a deserving driver.

“So what does that mean for me? Probably a little bit unknown, but if I perform then I’m sure they’ll find a spot for me somewhere.

“I’m most happy being back here. Speaking of performance, it’s nice not looking elsewhere or having maybe other little distractions, because I can just focus on this.

“It’s an all-in approach, but I think that approach will also get the most out of me. And if that is still not enough, then c’est la vie.

“I think that intensifies it, but also simplifies it, so I think it’s the best approach. It’s not coming from a stubborn place, but I don’t really want to be anywhere else either.

“I’m not going to say everyone’s calling me [saying]: ‘Hey, well if this doesn’t work, we’ve got something for you.’

“But I think also I’ve been quite open about not wanting to [leave the Red Bull system]. I’ve obviously done a bit of jumping around the last few years and that, in itself, can be tiring.

“I feel like I’ve worked my way back to this place and also Red Bull has given me the opportunity to be back here, so it’s not something I just want to dismiss and say: ‘OK, well, what’s next?’

“There is no next thing for me. This is it.

“I’m appreciative of what they’ve been able to give me now and I really just want to try and make it work with them.”

Having come close to losing his seat during the summer break, Perez’s form has tentatively improved since the season resumed last month with the Mexican driver following up a sixth-place finish at Zandvoort with eighth at Monza.

Perez ran third for much of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and had been on course for his first podium finish since the Chinese Grand Prix on April 21 until a dramatic collision with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in the closing stages.

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