Liam Lawson’s F1 future might already be set thanks to an important decision by Red Bull Racing.
Liam Lawson’s future with Racing Bulls in F1 has been the talk of many fans recently. One decision the team made might give us a clue about what they’re thinking. At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Lawson scored points for the 12th time this season by finishing seventh.
The New Zealander has had a strong season alongside rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad, outscoring him by 27 points. He even stepped in for Isack Hadjar during three races after Hadjar hurt his wrist. But there’s still no word on whether Lawson will keep his seat for 2027.
Interestingly, Racing Bulls, along with Haas, are the only teams that haven’t confirmed their drivers for next season yet. Lawson’s situation is unique because he moved up to Red Bull at the start of 2025, then returned to Racing Bulls after two races and has since driven for both teams.
If Racing Bulls bring in a new driver, it might be Red Bull academy’s Nikola Tsolov, who led the Formula 2 championship before Baku. Last month, the New Zealand Herald mentioned Tsolov might join Racing Bulls in 2027—but probably as a reserve driver.
One way the team could prepare Tsolov is by giving him a chance to drive in a Friday free practice session. Rules require teams to let rookie drivers take part in four FP1 sessions—two each for both cars. A rookie is someone who’s raced in fewer than three F1 races. Lindblad already did this during the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.
Racing Bulls used one FP1 session with a rookie driver in Austria, but they picked Ayumu Iwasa instead of Tsolov that time. There’s still one more chance for a rookie to drive this season before the 2027 driver lineup is likely decided.
Still, it doesn’t look like Tsolov will be a sure thing for the Racing Bulls seat, especially since Rafael Camara recently passed him in the F2 standings after a couple of winless weekends.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher shared his thoughts with Sky Sports Germany, saying he doesn’t think Lawson will stay with Racing Bulls next year. “I believe Arvid Lindblad will stay, and they’ll give Tsolov a chance,” he said. “Lawson did a good job this year, but he didn’t quite deliver what Red Bull expected. That’s why he’s no longer at Red Bull, and Hadjar is there now. This junior team is meant for developing talent.”
Schumacher added, “Lawson has been with the team a long time and deserves respect. But if you want to find the next star, you have to make tough choices. Tsolov is promising, and he should get a shot. Lindblad can take on a more experienced role next year.”
If Lawson leaves, Haas might be his only F1 option for 2027. Or he could follow a path like Yuki Tsunoda, who was dropped by Red Bull last year and became their reserve driver. However, even Tsunoda faces uncertainties, as he’s now looking at Haas or possibly no F1 seat as he tries to get back on the grid.