Ricciardo replacement delivers Red Bull driver battle TWIST

Daniel Ricciardo's Formula 1 replacement has provided a fresh twist in the Red Bull driver battle.

Liam Lawson replaced the axed Ricciardo at VCARB after the Singapore Grand Prix, and will be in the seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the 2024 season and potentially 2025 as well.

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However, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has recently suggested that he and team-mate Tsunoda may be in a shootout for Sergio Perez's seat at the main team, with the Mexican driver suffering a poor 2024 season.

Perez is currently contracted to be Max Verstappen's team-mate until the end of the 2026 season, having signed a new contract earlier this year, but many have suggested that contract could be terminated early if Lawson or Tsunoda excel at VCARB.

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Perez victorious in Red Bull battle

Now, the four current Red Bull drivers on the grid have been taking on a new sport, with Lawson and Perez battling it out at the Mexican GP in mini table football.

F1 is in Mexico this weekend for the 20th round of what has been a thrilling 2024 season, with the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez playing host to the latest instalment of the intense championship battle between Lando Norris and Verstappen.

Discussion around Red Bull's second driver has been strife throughout the year, not least because of Red Bull's huge drop-off in the battle for the constructors' championship.

While Lawson will be hoping to prove he is the man to be Verstappen's team-mate heading into the future, he lost out to Perez in a recent challenge that the pair competed in during the Mexican GP weekend.

Following a hotly-contested Verstappen v Tsunoda mini-football match, a video on Red Bull's Instagram page shows Perez defeating Lawson, slamming the ball into the New Zealander's goal.

The post called for a 'VAR check', however, with Lawson seemingly not too happy with Perez's tactics.

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