Liam Lawson is battling to stay on the F1 grid for the 2026 season.
The 23-year-old Kiwi is out of contract on the finish of a rollercoaster 2025 that started with a short-lived stint at Pink Bull and is concluding with a revival at sister staff Racing Bulls.
Lawson has not but secured a deal for subsequent yr however his performances for Racing Bulls following his savage Pink Bull demotion after two disastrous races are strengthening his case to retain his place.
Forged apart by Pink Bull having struggled alongside Max Verstappen, Lawson has proven resilience and quietly rebuilt his season at sister squad Racing Bulls.
Lawson scored his finest results of the season on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with an excellent drive to fifth, having held off a prepare of automobiles together with Pink Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda. That got here after a wonderful qualifying lap noticed him safe a shock P3 on the grid.
With present teammate Isack Hadjar tipped to be promoted to Pink Bull for 2026, and Arvid Lindblad rumoured to be heading for F1 with Racing Bulls, it seems that Lawson is in a direct shootout with Tsunoda for the opposite seat.
Lawson has indicated that his dream is not to safe a return to Pink Bull. In spite of everything, the earlier drivers spat out by Pink Bull have by no means returned to the senior staff.
“I spent a very long time, particularly becoming a member of [Red Bull] as a junior at 17, simply get to Pink Bull Racing – that was the place I noticed my future,” he mentioned in Thursday’s press convention in Azerbaijan.
“Possibly… Not that I forgot why I do it, however that was a lot of the aim. It’s simpler now to take a seat again and realise the aim has all the time been profitable and attending to the highest, and it doesn’t must be particular to the place that’s.”
Lawson going through profession crossroads
Exterior of Pink Bull’s four-backed automobiles, the one obtainable drive left for 2026 comes at Alpine.
However with Alpine set to resolve between Franco Colapinto or reserve driver Paul Aron for subsequent season, Lawson’s finest hope of remaining on the F1 grid seems to be with Racing Bulls.
Lawson acknowledged his short-term choices are restricted as he seems to be to safe his F1 future.
“Hopefully within the subsequent few races. It’s clearly laborious to know,” Lawson mentioned of his future.
“As drivers, the principle factor for us is to be in Formulation 1, so we’re targeted on securing a seat. Actually, that’s my aim for the time being.
“By way of different groups, I believe just about everyone seems to be both locked in or has a fairly good concept of what they’re doing subsequent yr anyway. Proper now, it’s principally talks with Pink Bull and attempting to safe a seat the place I’m for the time being.
“Past that, I believe it’s at some extent the place most of them [other seats] are just about gone, I might say.”
