Liam Lawson is likely to take over Daniel Ricciardo's position at Red Bull's junior team, RB, for the 2025 season.
As the driver market undergoes its 'silly season,' a significant date looms at the end of June that could affect many contracts and their finalization.
"I'm ready for next week," a tense Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas mentioned. "There's one specific date, I can't say what it is, but many things will be decided."
Some of these contractual milestones may align with this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, with more developments expected during next week's race at Silverstone.
"Silverstone is going to be crazy," anticipates Oliver Bearman, who is expected to secure a seat at Haas next year. "A lot of things are going to happen."
Daniel Ricciardo, currently underperforming at the Faenza-based RB team, voiced his concerns last weekend in Barcelona about his future with the team beyond 2024.
"It's tough," the Australian expressed, "because there's not really just one thing behind a decision. There are so many. It can be very taxing."
A critical aspect for Ricciardo is that if Red Bull cannot secure a full race seat for its 22-year-old reserve driver Lawson in 2025, he is free to join another team.
Amidst these conditions, speculation about Lawson negotiating with Audi-owned Sauber has gained traction.
Red Bull team advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has now signalled that Lawson is set to join Yuki Tsunoda at RB next year, effectively replacing Ricciardo.
"The shareholders have made it known that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly," he conveyed to Kleine Zeitung newspaper ahead of the outfit's home grand prix in Austria.
"The goal with Daniel was that he would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances," Marko clarified. "That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer valid."
Regarding the RB lineup, Marko stated, "We have to put a young driver in there soon. That would be Liam Lawson."
Marko also shared his concerns about the significant update introduced by RB in Barcelona.
"They had a real performance crash with the car - it was a real downgrade," he reported to Speed Week.
