Who could stand-in for Verstappen at Red Bull if he gets an F1 race ban?

Following the incident with George Russell in Barcelona, Max Verstappen is just one penalty point away from serving a one-race ban from a Formula 1 grand prix.

The reigning world champion was given a 10-second penalty and three penalty points on his superlicence for driving into Russell’s Mercedes during the closing laps of the Spanish Grand Prix.

It leaves Verstappen teetering on the edge of a ban, having now amassed 11 of the 12 points required in a 12-month period to be suspended from running over the course of a grand prix weekend.

Verstappen will have to steer clear of incurring the wrath of officialdom for at least the next two rounds, but he is on thin ice until late in the year.

He gained his first two penalty points in the current rolling 12-month period after last year’s Austrian GP on 30 June, having collided with Norris at Turn 3. But even after those points ‘expire’ this year he will still be three points away from a race ban.

Verstappen will remain in that position until after 27 October, when the two points he received for pushing Norris off-track in Mexico will expire.

While it remains to be seen if the Dutchman will fall foul of the rules, there is speculation as to who would step into his Red Bull seat should he be forced to miss a round of the championship.

Here, Autosport takes a look at the contenders who could be given the opportunity to replace Verstappen.

While Verstappen has taken the fight to the flying McLarens so far this season, taking three pole positions as well as victories in Japan and Imola, arguably the most impressive driver in the Red Bull stable has been French rookie Isack Hadjar.

Left in tears after crashing his Racing Bulls in the rain on the formation lap in Australia, Hadjar has since shown plenty of promise, knuckling down with the job at hand while drama over swapping Red Bull seats overshadowed his exciting start to life in F1.

He has finished in the points in five of the nine grands prix so far in 2025 and started fifth in Monaco, the first rookie to get that high up on the grid at the Principality since Lewis Hamilton.

While his pace and craft have caught the eye, any concern from the Red Bull hierarchy of having to adapt to the senior team would be tempered by the fact that it is a standalone race – a one-off shot for the 20-year-old to show what he can do before reverting back to Racing Bulls.

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

Liam Lawson may have endured a disastrous two-race stint as a Red Bull driver earlier this season, but the knowledge the New Zealander would have gained during that period could make him the perfect man to fill Verstappen’s boots.

Having been promoted from Racing Bulls, Lawson struggled to get to grips with the Red Bull and was unceremoniously dumped in favour of Yuki Tsunoda after the Chinese Grand Prix, returning to the junior team where he is now attempting to rebuild his reputation.

Given the failed experiment and his speedy demotion, Lawson himself might not be keen on another temporary switch back to Red Bull but, conversely, may see a single race as an attempt to banish the ghosts of his ill-fated spell.

He took his first points of the year in Monaco and showed himself to be a true team player as he held up the field to allow Hadjar enough space to pit and come out in front of Lawson and the train he had created behind him.

What could work against him? Well, Christian Horner et al have seen what Lawson can do in a Red Bull and were suitably unimpressed – a one-off race could instead be seen as a chance to give someone else a similar opportunity.

Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

That someone could be Ayumu Iwasa, who has been part of the Red Bull junior drivers’ programme since 2021 and is a race winner in both F3 and F2.

Currently racing for Team Mugen in Super Formula, Iwasa has finished on the podium in three of the opening five rounds and would certainly fit the mould of giving an up-and-coming talent the chance to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car in anger.

He debuted for Racing Bulls in the first practice session of the 2024 Japanese GP in front of his home crowd and also filled in for Verstappen in FP1 at this year’s Bahrain round, getting his first taste of track action in a Red Bull.

In all likelihood, Iwasa would not land the Red Bull drive in place of Verstappen – should he serve a ban – but would be in line to take the Racing Bulls seat vacated temporarily by either Hadjar or Lawson.

Race winner Arvid Lindblad, Campos Racing

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Like Iwasa, Arvid Lindblad has been in the Red Bull young drivers pool for four years and is out making a name for himself in different formulas.

The British racer debuted in F2 this season and has put in a number of eye-catching displays, including victories in the Saudi Arabian sprint and the Spanish feature race last weekend.

Lindblad, too, would likely be drafted into a Racing Bulls seat rather than parachuted immediately into the Red Bull – but there is another issue at play that would affect his chances, a regulation introduced following Verstappen’s own F1 debut back in 2015.

The FIA announced in 2016 that a Formula 1 driver must be at least 18 unless they are “judged to have recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition”.

Lindblad would therefore require clearance to race for either Red Bull or Racing Bulls in the event of a Verstappen ban, at least until after the Hungarian Grand Prix on 3 August, with his 18th birthday coming the following week.

Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, arrives at the track

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

We might be strolling into the realms of fantasy but, should Red Bull decide a more experienced hand is the way to go, there could be an unlikely return for Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian is inexorably linked to the Red Bull outfit and is a favourite of Horner, who brought him back into the fold towards the end of 2023 with the then-AlphaTauri marque before taking the tough decision to drop him in favour of Lawson part-way through 2024.

Ricciardo had previously spent two seasons at the junior outfit before enjoying five years as a Red Bull driver, winning seven grands prix racing alongside both Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen during his tenure.

Bringing Riccardo back, even for a one-off race, would be a decision welcomed by plenty of fans, but the 35-year-old has distanced himself from motorsport since losing his Racing Bulls seat last year and would probably require some tempting back.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

If suggesting Riccardo as an option may have been a stretch – maybe including Sergio Perez is downright testing the elasticity of this list to the maximum.

But the Mexican, much maligned for his performances alongside Verstappen last season, knows the inner workings of the Red Bull outfit better than anyone else given how recently he was part of the team.

The issue for Perez is his poor displays last year have probably burnt his bridges with Horner and the hierarchy as Red Bull finished a distant third in the constructors’ championship, with Perez chipping in just 152 of the 589 points the team ended the year on.

Unlike Ricciardo, Perez would probably be keen to get back behind the wheel, especially with the continued speculation linking him to a seat at the newly formed Cadillac team, which enters the world championship from 2026.