Liam Lawson concedes he has no Plan B if Red Bull axe falls on him

Liam Lawson concedes there’s no ‘Plan B’ for 2027, if he to loses his Formula One drive with Racing Bulls. 

The 24-year-old remains in the dark over his immediate future in Formula One, despite a standout campaign this year, as Red Bull’s powerbrokers decide who will fill their junior side’s seats next year. 

Lawson’s teammate Arvid Lindblad is understood to be safe, leaving an effective shootout between the Kiwi and Bulgarian Formula Two driver Nikola Tsolov. 

While Lawson boasts the strongest results of any of the contenders – sitting ninth in the championship as the “best of the rest”, the highest placed driver outside of the top four teams – Racing Bulls’ status as a feeder team into Red Bull could see fortune fall Tsolov’s way. 

The 19-year-old had an impressive first outing in Mexico last week, taking Lawson’s car in practice and posting a lap time just over 0.1s off Lindblad. 

However, with no Red Bull seats available in the foreseeable future, given Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar’s long-term contracts, Racing Bulls can also keep the status quo for another year at least. 

Further helping that cause, Lawson has scored the bulk of his team’s points as they close in on fifth in the constructors championship, in what would bank an estimated $180 million and be the highest finish in Racing Bulls’ history. 

Asked about his future after arriving at Interlagos for this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix, the Kiwi again had no answers. 

“Every weekend I’ve been trying to do my best,” Lawson said. “We’ve had a really strong year, we’re in a strong position. 

“We’re pulling away from Alpine every weekend, with a few races left we’re trying to stay on top of them. I don’t know what else they want me to do, but it’s just one of those things at the moment. 

“It’s the end of the season, when something like this is pushed all the way to the end, you’re left with not many options. It’s not the easiest situation. 

“I want to be racing in Formula One, and I’m trying to show my best every weekend.” 

Lawson has also been linked with taking Valtteri Bottas’ seat at Cadillac, however, that appears to be tenuous at best. 

The American team has gone to great lengths to see Formula Two driver Colton Herta earn enough points for a Super Licence to theoretically be available for promotion if a change is made. 

Already boasting a strong record in Brazil – with two points finishes in his first two visits to Interlagos – Lawson’s cause is helped by arguably his best drive of his career in Mexico last week. 

Starting in pit lane, Lawson went from 22nd to ninth when he crossed the line and was upgraded to seventh once post-race penalties were handed to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. 

And yet, his demeanour in post-race media duties left many thinking Lawson had already learned his fate. 

Instead, though, he puts that down to his weekend being hampered by a collision with Red Bull stablemate Verstappen in practice, that saw both drivers hit with a grid penalty. 

“If I look a year ago, we were in a different position and I thought about it a lot more,” Lawson explained. 

“This year, I haven’t really thought about it so much, but the racing has been stronger. 

“Mexico was [about] a specific situation that happened on Friday that made the whole weekend more tough. 

“With the performance, I was in the same place I’d been all year.” 

As another tick in Lawson’s column for Brazil, the weekend’s race is expected to be wet. Rain has already fallen on the first day, with more forecast before Monday’s (NZ time) race. 

In 2024, Lawson put in a strong performance on this same track in the wet, where he qualified fifth and finished ninth in what was just his eighth race in Formula One. 

Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad arrive at the Mexican Grand Prix. Photo / Photosport 

And with the pace Racing Bulls have shown all season, including Lawson’s run of 24 points in his last four races, there’s plenty to be confident about. 

“I feel like the speed’s been good, in Mexico it was very good,” he added. 

“We qualified very, very well – we just had the penalty and had to start from pit lane. 

“Outside that, we were quick all weekend, the race pace was good. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be quick here. 

“It’s a track that I enjoy driving, the car should work well. The bigger question is the weather over the weekend.” 

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.