Eddie Jordan has picked Liam Lawson as “the real deal” who is “ready to fly” next season, believing he should drive Sergio Perez’s Red Bull in 2025.

Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo at VCARB after the Singapore Grand Prix and is reportedly in contention to drive at Red Bull next season, if the team chooses to replace Perez.

Eddie Jordan touts Liam Lawson as ‘the real deal’ for Red Bull

Red Bull are also reportedly assessing the viability of bringing Franco Colapinto to the team next season, with the Williams driver having impressed since joining the grid in place of Logan Sargeant after the summer break.

Lawson has had some run-ins since his return to the track, including with Fernando Alonso in Austin and Perez himself in Mexico, apologizing after raising middle finger to Red Bull driver while he was in the car.

But after the VCARB driver took his car to ninth in the Sprint at Interlagos this weekend, finishing one place behind Perez in the Red Bull, he qualified in an impressive fifth before bringing home points in ninth position at the end of the weekend.

This drew applause from former team principal Jordan, who believes the New Zealander is the ideal candidate to replace Perez next season, saying there is “zero chance” the Mexican will be in the car in 2025.

“The person that stood out to me, and I have to be honest, Lawson, is the real deal here,” Jordan said on the Formula for success podcast.

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“He drove with a lot of pressure and he knows how to manage himself. He didn’t have Lewis’s (Hamilton) car, he didn’t have the others’ cars, but he showed a level of skill that really impressed me. It is ready to fly in 2025.

“Perez, you know, how many chances did he have? Do you think he’ll make a run next year? No chance.

“A lovely, lovely, lovely guy – but we know that lovely guys don’t win you Grands Prix. While Lawson is the deal, he’s part of the family there, part of the lineup, and he’s the one who should be in that car.

Co-host David Coulthard, a 13-time Grand Prix winner, added: “I’m not going to disagree that Checo (is a) lovely guy.

“He won a Grand Prix. He’s been a faithful servant, as the team has been to him, but unless something happens over the next three races that gives you a lot of confidence that it’s only an “ism” with this car, then the writing is very, very boldly on the wall.

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