Perez facing Red Bull contract U-TURN after latest announcement

Liam Lawson's arrival at RB could spark a shock U-turn from Red Bull over Sergio Perez's contract, according to a top Formula 1 pundit.

The Red Bull star signed a new deal with the team earlier this season, agreeing to stay with the reigning constructors' champions until the end of 2026.

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However, his dismal form this season has raised questions over whether he is the right man to partner team-mate Max Verstappen going forward.

'Bad news for Perez's career'

Perez has collected a meagre 41 points over his previous 12 outings, putting him eighth in the standings with just six races remaining.

Speculation over the 34-year-old's future first arose during the summer break, with then Visa Cash App RB star Daniel Ricciardo linked with his seat.

However, that move failed to materialise, with the Australian's own run of poor results prompting RB to drop him in favour of Liam Lawson following the Singapore Grand Prix.

With McLaren having overhauled Red Bull at the top of the order, the pressure has been ramped up on Perez to pick up performances or face up to the prospect of being ditched next season.

Writing in his weekly BBC Sport column, Andrew Benson discussed the future of both Perez and Lawson, suggesting that the latter can't be ruled out as an option for Red Bull if he can impress over the coming months – despite Checo's contract running until 2026.

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"Liam Lawson’s return to a race seat for the final six races of the season with Red Bull’s RB team is an audition for 2025 - the only question is for which team," he said.

"It is pretty much locked in that Lawson will at the very least be in an RB race seat next season.

"For the New Zealander to be considered for a Red Bull drive alongside Max Verstappen, the very least he needs to do is beat team-mate Yuki Tsunoda on a consistent basis.

"If he can't do that, he won’t get the Red Bull drive. If he can, then it will be up to team principal Christian Horner and motorsport adviser Helmut Marko to assess whether they think he would do a better job in the senior team next year than Perez.

"Given the disparity between the two cars, Lawson should not realistically be able to beat Perez on track for the rest of the season.

"If he does, that would be very bad news for the Mexican’s career."

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