A fresh rumour about Oscar Piastri is creating buzz in the Formula 1 community as the sport returns to action this weekend in Austin.
Dr Helmut Marko of Red Bull recently suggested that Liam Lawson, who is about to resume racing alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the rest of the season in Red Bull's junior team RB, is being evaluated in a direct head-to-head that could lead to replacing Sergio Perez in 2025.
However, Lawson will face a challenge this weekend, as he is set to take a grid penalty due to a new engine.
"But there are still five races after that, then we will see and evaluate how it goes," Marko, Red Bull's key Formula 1 advisor, told motorsport-magazin.com.
"We know that Checo has fluctuations in form and that he has a harder time when the car is constantly changing technically," Marko added.
This weekend, Red Bull Racing is introducing a major upgrade to their 2024 car, including a new floor. Marko said, "The circuits coming up now clearly suit him (Perez) better and we hope that he will stabilise."
But could another driver also be in consideration to replace Perez?
"I do not think it's impossible that Oscar Piastri will go to Red Bull next year to replace Sergio Perez," former Formula 1 driver Christian Fittipaldi said during the Pelas Pistas podcast.
"Piastri may be getting a bit tired of the situation at McLaren," he added.
Marko has recently been openly discussing how "all top drivers" have exit clauses in their contracts—and Piastri, 23, is managed by Mark Webber, who still has strong connections with the Red Bull organisation.
This week, Marko raised concerns about the "mental" strength of Piastri's teammate Lando Norris, who is Max Verstappen's main challenger for the 2024 title.
At the same time, it's the young Australian who is finding himself in a more supportive 'number 2' role as the championship fight progresses. "He (Piastri) may well say 'Thanks for all your help, but I'm going to think about myself'," Fittipaldi suggested.
Marko admits that having Piastri backing Norris is not ideal for Red Bull and Verstappen. "Unfortunately, that is true," said the 81-year-old Austrian.
"He can take a lot of points from Max, while people expect less from Checo. But I am not so sure that Piastri is very happy with his role as second driver and whether he wants to simply accept that," Marko added.
