The real reason for Liam Lawson’s return to Formula 1 according to Nico Rosberg. What might have led Red Bull to turn back to Liam Lawson instead of Daniel Ricciardo.

A showdown until Abu Dhabi

As already known for a few days, Liam Lawson will replace Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB starting from the United States Grand Prix at the 5.513-kilometre Circuit of The Americas in Austin, reuniting with Yuki Tsunoda after a brief stint with AlphaTauri last season.

His return was certainly anticipated, considering the excellent results the young New Zealander achieved in his five official appearances and Daniel Ricciardo’s decline, as he has never fully regained the sharpness and competitiveness of his five years at Red Bull.

However, Liam Lawson’s ascent may not be over. According to Nico Rosberg, Red Bull intends to assign the second seat for 2025, currently held by Sergio Perez, to one of the two VCARB drivers in what could turn into a real showdown in the final six races of the season.

“Red Bull risks finishing third in the Constructors’ Championship because they have only one driver, and that driver sometimes struggles with the car,” said 2016 world champion Rosberg on Sky Sports. “Ferrari has two drivers. McLaren has two drivers, which makes things even more difficult for them.” – he explained – “It’s a tough situation. The fact is that they don’t have a true replacement either. Yuki Tsunoda isn’t considered strong enough to replace Sergio Perez. Daniel Ricciardo is out, so there’s no real substitute, which makes things even harder.”

“It’s also strange with Perez, because we all know he’s a good driver and that sometimes he has challenged Max for the title in small segments, even last year. Now, somehow, he’s really slipped back. It’s very, very strange. They’re giving him a chance until the end of the season, and I believe they still need to reassess him for next year. This is another reason they want to try Lawson. If he performs exceptionally in these last six races, he would definitely be considered for the main seat at Red Bull next year. I don’t have access to Red Bull’s finances, but it’s clear there are reasons why they’ve kept Perez. Mexico is a big event, and we’ve heard many rumors about why he might still be in that seat. So it’s clear there are many other behind-the-scenes factors,” Nico Rosberg concluded.