While Colapinto is attracting interest from Red Bull, the question remains as to where he would be placed should he end up joining the energy drinks company’s roster.

According to rumours picked up over the Interlagos weekend, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko sees Liam Lawson, who has made a strong return to F1 since the United States GP, as Verstappen’s team-mate in 2025.

In this scenario, an RB seat would be available for Colapinto alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

However, speculation suggests Horner’s plan would be different, as he would prefer to promote Colapinto directly to Red Bull alongside Verstappen, in which case Lawson would be heading for his first full season in F1 at RB.

Horner would be interested in this scenario in order to maximise the financial potential of Colapinto, whose popularity has exploded in Argentina and throughout Central and South America.

The move would not be without risk, however, given Colapinto’s limited experience.

Horner’s vision also would not support the work of the Red Bull Junior Team, a programme that was once flourishing but has stalled in recent years.

For Marko, the possibility of promoting Lawson represents a return to the process that ensured the team was able to draw successfully from its own pool of young drivers.

Placing Colapinto alongside Verstappen after four seasons in which the role was held by Perez would be a blow to the junior programme, and Red Bull would find itself in the situation of locking its youngsters into RB for the fifth consecutive season.