- Racing Bulls confirmed on Thursday that Liam Lawson, 24, will drive for the team again in 2027 alongside Arvid Lindblad, per Motorsport.com.
- Lawson has 89 points this season, 75 for Racing Bulls and 14 from a three-race stand-in at Red Bull, and sits ninth in the drivers’ standings.
- Nikola Tsolov, the Red Bull junior tipped to replace him, was named Red Bull’s reserve driver for 2027 instead.
Too Good to Ignore: The Announcement That Ended Lawson’s Wait
“We’re delighted to be continuing with Liam and Arvid for 2027,” Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane announced on Thursday morning. “Both have demonstrated their ability and potential throughout the season, and we’ve seen the progress they’ve made, both individually and as a pairing. I have no doubt that this is the best driver line-up for us, bringing a strong combination of experience and ambition. Together, we have a solid foundation to build on the progress made this year, continue pushing ourselves forward and take the next step towards achieving our ambitions in 2027.”
The New Zealander had spent an anxious few weeks while Racing Bulls and its parent company Red Bull weighed whether to keep him or hand the seat to Tsolov, a Formula 2 title contender. The wait left Lawson with no assurance on 2027 until the team announced its answer.
His own reaction came in two paragraphs. “I’m very happy to be continuing with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls next year. We’ve had a brilliant season together and the team has worked very hard to produce a fast car, which I’ve loved driving. It feels great to be part of a historic season for the team as we continue our fight for P5 in the Constructors’ Championship. It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone both at track, and back at the factory.”
“I’m looking forward to carrying this momentum forward with Arvid through to 2027; we’re building something super positive and I’m excited by what we can achieve together.”
The Season That Made the Case
The numbers behind the decision are hard to argue with. Lawson has scored 89 points in 2026. Seventy-five of them came for Racing Bulls and 14 came in a three-race spell at Red Bull, where he filled in for Isack Hadjar, who had a wrist injury. That total makes him ninth in the drivers’ championship and the highest scorer outside the top four teams. Lindblad, the rookie in the other Racing Bulls car, has 38.
Lawson has 15 top-10 finishes in 20 races and a single retirement. His best result came at Monaco, where he finished fifth. His Racing Bulls points alone are enough to put the team fifth in the constructors’ championship, which is on course to be the best result the team has achieved under any of its identities, Minardi included, before Red Bull bought it at the end of 2005.
Fifth place carries prize money, and that counts for a team that has invested heavily in its infrastructure in recent years. Lawson also gives Racing Bulls something harder to price. With him in one car, the team has a solid benchmark for judging how Lindblad is developing, and that benchmark carries into 2027.
Three Races in the Americas
The case came together over the Americas triple-header. Lawson finished ninth in Austin, then seventh in Mexico and seventh in Brazil.
Mexico also brought the clash that had the paddock talking. In practice, Lawson refused to get out of Max Verstappen’s way. Verstappen was blunt about it afterward. “When you’re fighting for your seat, it’s not very smart behaviour,” the Red Bull driver said. Lawson apologized to Verstappen after the contact, was disqualified from qualifying, and still finished the race seventh.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies denied before the announcement that his team would have any say in the junior squad’s line-up.
Brazil was the sharper test. Lawson took fifth on the grid and started third after grid penalties for George Russell and Charles Leclerc. In the rain he picked off Lando Norris for second at the start, then fell back as the field got its intermediate tyres into the right operating window. He crossed the line eighth and was promoted to seventh after Leclerc was penalized for barging past in the closing laps.
A week after the Mexico clash, Lawson was far more accommodating. When Verstappen appeared in his mirrors at Interlagos, he dived out of the way on the Reta Oposta back straight, slowing so sharply that he dropped two gears and lost more than one and a half seconds. Isack Hadjar slowed significantly to let Verstappen past in the other Red Bull in the same race.
The radio exchange with his race engineer, Alexandre Iliopoulos, shows how Lawson played it. Asked for feedback on the balance of his car, he said: “Well, it’s just graining, so I have no fronts, and the traction is really, really bad. Do you want me to try clear it?” Iliopoulos agreed, and by lap 11, as Verstappen went by, Lawson told him: “Yep, I let him go.” He also pointed out to Iliopoulos that he had not cost Verstappen any time.
In Miami earlier this year, Lawson had challenged a Racing Bulls order to let Verstappen through.
Tsolov and the Two Jobs of a Junior Team
Racing Bulls has two jobs, and they pull in different directions. One is to find the next Max Verstappen or Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli’s early promotion showed the value of that route, and some executives were keen to see Tsolov fast-tracked. The other job is to stand on its own two feet, commercially and on track.
Tsolov, a 19-year-old Bulgarian, is second in the Formula 2 standings with four races left. Red Bull gave him private testing and a rookie FP1 session in Mexico. Shortly after Racing Bulls confirmed its line-up, Red Bull named him its reserve driver for 2027, a role that brings more private testing, more rookie FP1 sessions and simulator duty.
Tsolov said he hopes to move up to F1 after next year. “My ambition is clear: I want to become an F1 driver,” he said. “Having the opportunity to spend next year preparing for that next step is incredibly exciting.”
“I’m confident that with the team’s support and experience, I’ll have the best possible preparation to make sure I’m fully ready to take the next step onto the F1 grid when the time comes.”
Permane had explained the balance on Friday in Sao Paulo, days before the announcement. “The main factors are, as always, pace and speed. That’s the very first thing we look for,” he said. “But we’re not just a team that exists solely to compete. We are here to bring young talent through, so we have to keep an eye on that. And that doesn’t necessarily mean that we just keep churning young talent through the car. We need to maybe have some experience as well to measure that talent.”
Permane’s opinion counts at Racing Bulls. He recently signed a new deal through 2031 as team principal and co-CEO. “Alan is doing a tremendous job, and the progress the team has made is a direct reflection of his experience, commitment and competitive mindset,” said his boss Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO Corporate Projects and Investments at Red Bull. “He brings clarity, composure, and a deep understanding of what it takes to perform in Formula 1, while creating an environment where people can consistently deliver at their best.”
On the delay, Permane spoke to the frustration. “I realise it’s frustrating for our drivers,” he added. “I realise it’s frustrating for everyone else, but we want to get it right, and we will get it right. I’m sure when we announce it in the coming weeks, everyone will be happy…”
A Seat He Has Had to Win Repeatedly
Lawson has been here before. He arrived in Formula 1 in 2023 as a deputy for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, who broke his hand in a practice crash at the Dutch Grand Prix. After a debut in the rain at Zandvoort, Lawson beat Verstappen into the final qualifying session in Singapore and scored points on race day. Red Bull told him just before that qualifying run that there was no room for him in 2024.
A second twist followed in September 2024, days after the Singapore Grand Prix, when Racing Bulls dropped Ricciardo and put Lawson back in the car for the rest of the season. He earned a promotion to Red Bull for 2025, replacing Sergio Perez beside Verstappen, and the team dropped him after two rounds. He returned to Racing Bulls and has been a fixture on the grid ever after. From 2023 on, he has fought for his place, first from the sidelines and then as Ricciardo’s full-time replacement.
The fans noticed. Supporters flooded Racing Bulls’ social media channels with calls to re-sign him, and Lawson saw it. “I appreciate all the support. I’ve seen it over the last few weeks. It’s honestly really nice to see.”
“Obviously, I would love it if it was more from a team. But at the moment I’m just trying to enjoy driving the car because with everything else going on I don’t really know what else I’m meant to do. I don’t really know what else I’m meant to say to you guys. So, at the moment I’m just going to keep driving and see what happens.”
In Sao Paulo he spoke about the man now backing him. “I feel like Alan’s been extremely supportive to me and I appreciate that a lot,” Lawson said. “I’ve enjoyed working closely with him and with the team this year. Obviously, it’s a big organisation so…”
What Comes Next
The waiting is over and the season continues. Three races remain, starting with the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday, November 21, at 8pm local time. Racing Bulls holds fifth in the constructors’ championship.
Lindblad, the Briton, will start his second season with the same teammate. “Looking back on my first season in Formula 1, it’s been a truly special year, full of new experiences and learnings since the very first pre-season test,” he said. “I can’t wait to get started next year, building on everything I’ve learned during my rookie season. It’s set to be an exciting year, and I look forward to continuing to drive alongside Liam.”
For Lawson, the 2027 contract answers the question that followed him from Zandvoort to Interlagos. He now has a team that wanted him and a teammate who looks forward to racing beside him.
