Can Lawson keep seat for 2027 season? – F1 Q&A
BBC Sport's Formula 1 correspondent Andrew Benson has addressed reader questions on the sport, with a leading focus on whether Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson can secure a longer-term F1 future, potentially through to the 2027 season. Lawson, a New Zealander, is currently the highest-placed driver outside the sport's top four teams, sitting ninth in the drivers' championship, but his prospects are complicated by strong form from his rookie team-mate and a difficult spell at Red Bull earlier in his career.
Benson notes that Racing Bulls have the fifth-fastest car on average this season, making Lawson's "best of the rest" standing appropriate given his experience advantage. However, rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad, despite trailing by 20 points in the championship, is closely matched on pace, leading Lawson by 0.017 seconds on average speed despite Lawson holding a 6-5 edge in qualifying head-to-heads. Lawson's stint alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull early in 2025 ended in demotion back to Racing Bulls, and he has struggled to look convincing since; team principal Alan Permane says the priority is developing drivers for Red Bull, whose new leadership under Laurent Mekies has yet to show its hand on Lawson's future.
- Liam Lawson's F1 future beyond 2025 remains uncertain despite strong championship position.
- Rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad is closely matching Lawson on raw pace.
- Red Bull's new leadership has not signalled its plans for Lawson.
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Formula 1's Racing Bulls team is one of two teams affiliated with Red Bull, which uses it partly to develop drivers before they might move up to the main Red Bull team alongside stars like Max Verstappen. New Zealander Liam Lawson currently drives for Racing Bulls, having previously been promoted to Red Bull itself, only to be sent back down after a difficult run of results earlier in 2025.
Lawson is now racing alongside a rookie team-mate, Arvid Lindblad, and the two are being closely compared on pace and results as Red Bull's leadership, now headed by Laurent Mekies, weighs up its driver line-up for future seasons. How Lawson performs against Lindblad, and whether Red Bull sees him as part of its longer-term plans, will shape whether he keeps his place on the grid.
This matters because F1 seats are limited and highly sought after, with only 20 available across the whole championship each season. Decisions made by teams like Red Bull about which drivers to back can end careers or launch them towards the sport's top teams, making driver line-up questions a recurring source of interest for fans.