Marko Hints at RB’s Second Seat for 2025 Being Announced in Singapore

Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson are believed to be the frontrunners to race alongside Yuki Tsunoda in Formula 1 next season.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko strongly hinted that the team’s lineup, despite not yet confirming Yuki Tsunoda’s teammate for 2025, would be revealed during next week’s Singapore Grand Prix. Tsunoda had already agreed to his fifth season with Red Bull earlier this year, but it remains uncertain whether the team will continue with Daniel Ricciardo for another year.

If Ricciardo doesn’t stay with the team, Red Bull may opt for Liam Lawson, who replaced Ricciardo after his injury following a crash at Zandvoort last year. Another possible candidate is Isack Hadjar, the French driver currently competing for the F2 championship, whom Red Bull might consider promoting to a race seat.

Marko told Viaplay, “We have an idea, wait until Singapore. It’s only September, and by then we’ll have a clear picture. The decision about the remaining 2025 Red Bull seat will be made clear there.”

Marko had previously told the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung that Liam Lawson would “definitely be in one of the Red Bull cars next year,” making it logical for the New Zealander to take Ricciardo’s place. Lawson had previously tested the Red Bull RB20, and that test was considered a trial run for replacing Sergio Perez earlier in the season.

During the summer break, Red Bull decided to support Perez and kept him in the seat for the rest of the season, but despite having a contract for 2025, it’s unclear if Perez will keep his seat for another year.

Christian Horner had contradicted Marko’s earlier statement about Lawson, saying: “We could loan him out. Nothing is set in stone. If we don’t exercise Liam’s option, he’ll be a free driver for 2025.”

Lawson was also an option for Williams, who were considering replacing Logan Sargeant after the Dutch Grand Prix, but Williams ultimately chose their own junior driver, Franco Colapinto.

Any confirmation for the Red Bull seat would mean that Sauber’s second seat remains the only available spot for 2025, with Valtteri Bottas and Gabriel Bortoleto as the top candidates for that seat.