Liam Lawson Keeps Racing Bulls Seat Into 2027 After Sacking Threat
Racing Bulls has extended Liam Lawson's Formula 1 contract into the 2027 season. Red Bull's decision to keep him avoids what would have been an
Racing Bulls has extended Liam Lawson's Formula 1 contract into the 2027 season. Red Bull's decision to keep him avoids what would have been an unprecedented driver sacking.
Lawson's seat in Red Bull's second team has been at real risk in recent rounds. Formula 2 race winner Nikola Tsolov has been waiting in the wings. Red Bull had to decide which two of Lawson, Tsolov and Arvid Lindblad would race for Racing Bulls next year.
Why dropping Lawson would have been unprecedented
Lawson currently sits ninth in the drivers' championship. Had he lost his seat, he would have had no other place on the grid to race in 2027.
That combination is rare. Over the past 10 F1 seasons, only two drivers have been dropped while doing as well as Lawson is now, and then found themselves with no seat the following year.
Both came through Red Bull. Sergio Perez finished eighth in the 2024 championship, and Alex Albon was seventh in 2020. Each was ranked higher than Lawson is today, and each was left without a drive the following season.
What was different for Perez and Albon
The cases differ in one important way. Perez and Albon were driving for Red Bull Racing, the senior team, where they were being comprehensively beaten by teammate Max Verstappen.
Lawson's situation is different. He races in Red Bull's second team, and his recent performances are what convinced the organization to keep him.
The extension settles one of the three seats in contention. Tsolov and Lindblad remain part of Red Bull's plans as it works out its Racing Bulls lineup for 2027.
