Liam Lawson has admitted he has been given "no assurances" over his Formula One future, as Racing Bulls chief executive Peter Bayer raised further doubts about the New Zealander's place with the team despite a strong 2026 season.
Lawson has scored 83 points so far this year, putting him ninth in the drivers' standings behind only the eight drivers representing the top four most competitive teams. His results have driven Racing Bulls' charge to fifth in the constructors' championship, with the team on course to finish as 'best of the rest' after seeing off the challenge of midfield rivals Alpine.
Three drivers competing for two seats
Despite his results, Racing Bulls are considering a change. They face a three-into-two situation with their driver options, with Lawson competing alongside Arvid Lindblad, who has enjoyed a strong debut season despite being out-scored by the Kiwi, and Formula 2 title contender Nikola Tsolov.
Racing Bulls act as an unofficial feeder team to the main Red Bull outfit, so one of their biggest remits is to develop talent. Lawson made his F1 debut for the team in 2023, got a brief chance to race for the top team before being dropped last year, and stepped in again earlier this season for a three-race cameo deputising for the injured Isack Hadjar. This weekend's race in Sao Paulo will be his 55th F1 start.
Bayer points to Alan Permane for final decision
While Bayer admits the "general consensus" is that Lawson has done enough this season to earn a contract extension, retaining him instead of promoting Tsolov would go against the team's mission to develop the next generation. Bayer pointed at team principal Alan Permane as the man with the final say on the matter.
Referring to Tsolov's FP1 debut in Mexico last weekend, Bayer said: "Honestly, his performance was superb. It was his first time in the car and he integrated into the team absolutely perfectly. Regarding the driver decision, he put in a fantastic performance. That decision rests with Alan, and he will make it, or rather, announce it when he feels the time is right."
Bayer added: "Our role, as the leading developer of talent in Formula 1, is to continuously bring new drivers through. We've brought 22 drivers into Formula 1, including the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and others. That's why I say that, at the end of the day, the decision lies with Alan. And he will make the right choice for the team. We chatted about that briefly on Saturday."
Chandhok calls potential sacking 'unjust'
Dropping Lawson would be an unpopular decision for many. In Mexico last weekend, Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok said it would be one of the most "unjust" sackings in F1 history if Racing Bulls were to give his seat to Tsolov, and questioned how the team could possibly think Tsolov would be a better option for them in 2027.
Chandhok said: "I would still rather have Liam as the reference for any other young juniors coming through, because if you've got [Arvid] Lindblad in his second season, and Tsolov as the rookie, there's no clear benchmark. There's no clear reference of, 'We don't know how much Lindblad has improved into season two'."
He continued: "He could have made a step as big as Kimi Antonelli. He could not. Why have that level of question mark over the performance of the overall team? To me, it just makes no sense. They're top of the midfield. That team, there's a lot of commercial money there. There's a lot of prize money there, and to me, I just don't understand why you would change that."
Lawson himself said he can do nothing more than perform as well as he can and wait. He said: "I'm trying my best. Every weekend, I'm trying to maximise. In Mexico, I gave it everything. There's definitely no assurance at the moment. It's a tough sport. Right now, I don't know what else to say, really."
