While Red Bull’s ‘Plan A’ is to keep Sergio Perez beyond the end of the season, a report has claimed that if he were to be replaced, Daniel Ricciardo is the leading driver to step up.

Perez signed a new two-year contract with the team earlier this year, but his drop-off in form had led to uncertainty over his future with Red Bull – though Christian Horner confirmed after the Belgian Grand Prix that he would remain in place after the summer break.

Daniel Ricciardo ‘likely’ potential Sergio Perez replacement over Liam Lawson – report

PlanetF1.com understands Red Bull have an option in Lawson’s contract to promote him to a race seat for 2025 that expires in September, which would then leave him free to explore options with other teams.

With that, the current options for the second VCARB seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda appear to be between Lawson and Ricciardo, but if Red Bull decide to make a change at the ‘senior’ team for 2025, then Formula 1 correspondent and presenter Lawrence Barretto believes it would be the 35-year-old who is currently in the box seat to be promoted back to the seat he vacated at the end of 2018.

‘Should Red Bull decide that after giving Perez more support and several races to prove his worth, the Mexican still isn’t showing enough – it’s most likely they will promote either Ricciardo or Lawson into that seat,’ Barretto wrote for Formula1.com.

‘It should be said Red Bull’s Plan A is to keep Perez…but it is sensible to have a Plan B as a back-up. Sources say as it stands, Ricciardo would likely get the nod, with Lawson moving into the now-spare RB seat alongside Tsunoda.’

Ricciardo’s future is still to be decided beyond the end of the year, with his place at VCARB believed to be uncertain if his form drops off in the remaining races, with Lawson waiting in the wings as reserve driver.

Perez, meanwhile, stated he would no longer be answering questions on his future after the summer break, having come under pressure for his seat after a string of difficult races.

On his performances, Horner agreed that he needs both cars to be at their best in the second half of the season if Red Bull are to retain the Constructors’ Championship, telling media including PlanetF1.com in Belgium: “I think that that [Perez] is as acutely aware as anybody that we need both cars performing, which is what we had at the beginning of the year, and that’s where we need to get back to.”