In his race for a 2025 Formula One seat, New Zealand’s Liam Lawson has at the very least landed a moral victory over incumbent Sergio Perez in practice for the Mexican Grand Prix. 

The Kiwi has just five races guaranteed for the rest of the current season, with his hopes of remaining on the grid next season dependent on results. 

Fresh from a ninth-placed finish – and two championship points – in last week’s US Grand Prix in Texas, Lawson will look to go again at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. 

Taking to the track in the RB car for the first of three free practice sessions before Monday, Lawson completed 26 laps, for a best time of 1m 19.093s and the ninth-best time overall of the opening morning. That saw the Kiwi pip Red Bull’s Perez by 0.001s, as the Mexican got through 23 laps at his home Grand Prix for 10th place. 

While Perez (ninth) did get the better of Lawson (10th) in the day’s second and final practice, that session was used by Formula One itself to test tyre compounds that will be used in 2025 and was less indicative of current progress. 

Lawson’s RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda was the clear winner among Red Bull’s four cars, putting together a lap of 1m 17.787s to be third in the day’s second practice. 

World champion Max Verstappen managed 1m 18.839s for fourth place in practice one but was forced to sit out of the second session after an issue with his car. 

Mercedes’ George Russell topped practice one after clocking 1m 17.998s, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was quickest in practice two with 1m 17.699s. 

While admittedly only in practice, where teams look for more than just lap times, Lawson getting the better of Perez is significant in the race for a seat in 2025. 

Entering the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, Perez is 204 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s lead in the constructors championship has been reeled in by McLaren, who hold a 40-point advantage at the top. 

Despite Perez re-signing with Red Bull earlier this year on a contract for 2025 with a further option for 2026, the Mexican is by no means safe, especially if he proves to be the difference to McLaren at the top of the constructors’ standings. 

It is widely understood Lawson’s initial confirmation of six races in 2024 is an audition to succeed Perez in the Red Bull car next year, otherwise, he will stay with RB to gain experience until a seat in the senior team becomes available. 

While Perez finished seventh to Lawson’s ninth in Texas, he did so in a car that has scored 508 more points than the RB over the course of the season. 

It is also understood that despite scoring the majority of RB’s points this season, Tsunoda is unlikely to be promoted into Red Bull’s senior ranks. 

Tsunoda’s place in the team is widely tied to his links to Honda, Red Bull’s engine supplier across its two teams. 

However, Honda will leave Red Bull after 2025 to join Aston Martin, which could see Tsunoda follow if a seat opens up in the team that is bankrolled by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll. 

Drivers will complete a third practice session and qualifying on Sunday, before the Grand Prix on Monday (NZ time). 

Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.