Liam Lawson says he would be "ready" to be paired with Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing next year.
Some see Lawson’s current pairing with Yuki Tsunoda at the junior team RB as a clear shootout for the race seat currently occupied by the struggling Sergio Perez.
Verstappen’s father Jos is even publicly putting his support behind Lawson’s candidacy.
"I think Lawson is doing very well," he told Viaplay. "It seems only logical to me that he is ready for the step up.
"Let him finish the season and gain confidence. After that, the team has to decide what they want to do next year. But I’m certainly not against it," Verstappen snr added, referring to the idea of Lawson being paired with Max.
"It’s better if someone is driving who is competitive and pushes Max forward a bit. That always helps."
Some believe Perez, 34, could even be ousted before the season is out, but team advisor Dr Helmut Marko denies that.
"Nothing will happen until the last race in Abu Dhabi," he told Auto Bild. "Perez wants to keep fighting and get back on track in the last three races of the season.
"The situation will be assessed again after Abu Dhabi."
A major hurdle, however, is Perez’s contract - for several reasons. For instance, a raft of new Red Bull sponsors for 2025 are said to be contractually linked with the Mexican driver.
Also, it is believed Christian Horner agreed to remove the termination clauses Perez’s new deal, which is valid for 2025. F1-insider.com thinks buying out the Perez contract would not only cost the team millions in sponsorship, but a $20 million driver release fee.
Nonetheless, team boss Horner has expressed interest in Franco Colapinto, but that would mean not only paying $20m to Perez, but also another $20m to Williams for the Argentine rookie’s release.
Perez is also still sounding very confident he will still be a Red Bull driver in 2025. He said he thought very carefully before signing his new contract for 2025 earlier this season.
"I had one opportunity, two opportunities, to change teams," he told GQ. "When I had it, I thought ’I really love the challenge I have at Red Bull’.
"It’s a challenge that basically prepares you for anything."
But if all the pieces of the puzzle do fall in place for 22-year-old Lawson to step into Perez’s seat next year, the New Zealander insists: "I would feel ready.
"That’s what I’ve been trying to show in my performance for the last couple of races," he told the New Zealander Herald. "But that decision comes from the team, from Christian and Helmut.
"I would feel ready for that, but regardless of whether I’m being looked at by Red Bull or not, I’m just focused on performing anyway to stay in the sport."