Written by Ria Ann Sam, Edited by Sean McKean
With the 2024 season coming to an end and seats being filled, only the Visa Cash App RB team has an available seat, yet there are several notable drivers without a seat.
Newcomers Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto have both been linked to the seat, and the recently jobless Stake drivers - Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu - are now also options, not to mention Red Bull junior drivers.
Liam Lawson came in last season to replace Daniel Ricciardo, who had suffered an injury in Zandvoort, at AlphaTauri. He quickly became a fan favourite, especially after preventing both Red Bull drivers from progressing into Q3 in Singapore.
He was called up again this season to replace Ricciardo and has been with the team since the United States Grand Prix. He has had a good season so far; however, the Kiwi driver has been described as “hot-headed” and “aggressive,” which doesn’t paint him in a good light. He is still the most likely choice given his experience with the team.
Franco Colapinto is another contender for the free seat. The young Argentine made a splash on the grid and is quite popular due to both his smooth driving style and his suave manner with reporters and fans alike.
However, he is not as experienced as the other drivers on the list, which may not be favourable to him – but every driver has to start somewhere. Additionally, Red Bull may be more likely to promote one of their other junior drivers (e.g. Ayumu Iwasa and Isack Hadjar) instead of Colapinto.
It was announced that the F1 world would say goodbye to both Kick Sauber Stake F1 drivers – Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu - in favour of Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto from F2. However, we might not need to say goodbye just yet.
Valtteri Bottas could be a good option for the junior Red Bull team given his many years of experience, especially at a championship winning team (Mercedes). However, it doesn’t seem very likely, because RB may want to go with a younger driver.
With Zhou Guanyu also leaving Stake, the Chinese driver could also be an option for the Visa Cash App RB Team. He would also bring sponsorship money with him. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have an extremely impressive resume, of which the Red Bull junior team will be after.
However, a wrench in these ideas could be Sergio Perez, whose form has been declining this season. Even though he has a contract until 2026, Christian Horner and top officials at Red Bull have avoided giving statements regarding his future with the team.
If you remove Sergio Perez from the equation, that means there are two available seats for the 2025 season, which then begs the question: who will drive alongside Max Verstappen?
Theories floating around include Lawson replacing Perez (therefore Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto at VCARB); or Yuki Tsunoda being called up to the big team, meaning both Lawson and Colapinto could be at the junior team. But as mentioned before, why would Red Bull choose Colapinto instead of one of their other reserve drivers?
At the end of the day, these are just rumours - Perez may stay at the team - but rumours don’t just come from nowhere. He has been underperforming compared to Verstappen and is currently eighth in the standings.
Given that Red Bull is a competitive top team, are they happy with him? Especially when noticing that they have fallen to third in the Constructors’ Championship.
If you thought that the 2024 silly season was ludicrous, several driver contracts expire next year, which may change the grid once again. Additionally, with Cadillac joining the grid from 2026, there will be two more seats available up for grabs. The 2025 season is already promising to be unforgettable.