- Liam Lawson appears increasingly likely to retain his Racing Bulls seat for 2027 after scoring 75 points this season, including 61 for the Faenza outfit and 14 while deputising for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull.
- Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz believes Racing Bulls will retain Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, with Formula 2 contender Nikola Tsolov potentially taking on a reserve driver role instead.
- Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane expects a decision on the team’s 2027 driver line-up in the coming weeks, with Lawson’s resurgence strengthening his case for another season.
Liam Lawson looks increasingly likely to retain his seat at Racing Bulls for the 2027 Formula 1 world championship, with the New Zealander’s resurgence and consistent points scoring strengthening his case for another season with the Faenza outfit.
Despite speculation surrounding his future within the Red Bull driver programme, the 24-year old is being backed to remain alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad – with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.
Having endured a tumultuous 2025 campaign, which saw Lawson unceremoniously dropped by the senior Red Bull Racing team after only two rounds, the Kiwi has enjoyed a much more productive 2026 season.
Now firmly established at Racing Bulls, Lawson has amassed 75-points across the campaign to date. Of those, 61 have come with the sister Red Bull outfit, accounting for an impressive 61 percent of the team’s 100-point tally.
A stark contrast to the uncertainty that surrounded his Formula 1 career little more than 18 months ago, following his demotion in favour of Yuki Tsunoda.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s Ted’s Notebook, paddock reporter Ted Kravitz suggested that retaining the current Racing Bulls pairing was the expected outcome, given the contributions of both drivers towards the team’s constructors’ championship aspirations.
“They work well together, they score lots of points, it looks like Racing Bulls are going to finish fifth in the constructors’ and if only to reward them for scoring those points, they will be given another contract,” said Kravitz.
The comments come amid continued speculation over the future of Formula 2 championship contender Nikola Tsolov, who remains another potential candidate for a promotion through the Red Bull junior ranks.
The Bulgarian has impressed during his rookie Formula 2 campaign, however Kravitz suggested that a reserve driver role in 2027 could be the more likely avenue for the youngster, rather than an immediate graduation to the Formula 1 grid.
For Lawson meanwhile, another season at Racing Bulls would be vindication of the progress made since returning to the junior outfit in early 2025.
Having been promoted to partner Max Verstappen following Sergio Perez’s departure, the New Zealander was afforded only the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix to demonstrate his credentials before being replaced.
A decision that drew widespread criticism of Red Bull’s handling of its young drivers, with Lawson joining the likes of Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Daniil Kvyat in having been demoted from the senior squad.
Though the Kiwi’s subsequent performances have demonstrated the value of stability and continuity, particularly in an environment where driver development has historically been overshadowed by the relentless pressure to deliver immediate results.
Lawson’s 2026 campaign has also seen him return briefly to the senior Red Bull outfit, deputising for the injured Isack Hadjar across three races and collecting 14-points in the process.
His overall tally continues to extend the single-season points record for a New Zealand Formula 1 driver, albeit under a vastly different scoring system to that of the country’s only world champion, Denny Hulme.
With Racing Bulls now firmly in contention for fifth in the constructors’ standings, the argument for maintaining its current driver pairing has arguably never been stronger.
However, team principal Alan Permane remains reluctant to put an exact timeframe on when the organisation will finalise its 2027 plans.
Speaking ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Permane indicated that a decision was imminent, though stressed that there was no urgency to make an announcement.
“It’s going to be in the coming weeks,” said Permane.
“We’re in no rush. I think everyone knows we’ve got two fantastic drivers. We’ve got a fantastic driver in F2 at the moment, and they’re all there and ready to go.”
It leaves Lawson and Lindblad in the familiar position of awaiting confirmation of their futures, while the Red Bull hierarchy weighs up whether to reward its existing drivers or continue promoting talent through its development programme.
And while Tsolov’s credentials cannot be ignored, there is perhaps a stronger case for Red Bull to resist the temptation of another driver reshuffle.
Especially given the manner in which Lawson has rebuilt his confidence and reputation following the bruising experience of his brief tenure alongside Verstappen.
For a driver whose Formula 1 future appeared precarious at the beginning of 2025, another contract extension would represent a significant turnaround – and a welcome show of faith from an organisation that has not always been renowned for its patience.
