Racing Bulls closing on F1 2027 driver decision after Liam Lawson statement

Liam Lawson is reportedly set to stay put at Racing Bulls for the 2027 Formula 1 season. 

After his latest statement performance across the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, Lawson is on track to retain his seat for 2027.

While a final decision has not been made by Red Bull’s shareholders, the 24-year-old Kiwi is set to keep his drive alongside F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad, according to The Race. 

Lawson’s F1 future had been surrounded by huge uncertainty with Red Bull mulling over whether to promote its junior driver and Formula 2 championship frontrunner Nikola Tsolov for 2027. 

Tsolov, who sits second in the F2 title race heading into the final two rounds, impressed Racing Bulls in his F1 practice debut at the Mexico City Grand Prix. 

Despite suggestions Tsolov could be promoted to an F1 seat for 2027, Lawson is the favourite to secure a new deal for next year. 

An announcement could be made before the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 22 November. 

Lawson helped his cause with a standout performance in Brazil as he qualified third on the grid and finished seventh. 

It marked the latest eye-catching display from Lawson, who also performed strongly as a stand-in for Red Bull when Isack Hadjar was ruled out of three weekends due to a wrist injury. 

Lawson sits ninth in the 2026 championship with 89 points, more than double what Lindblad has managed in the sister Racing Bulls - though 14 of them were achieved with Red Bull. 

Team principal Alan Permane has remained cagey about Racing Bulls’ plans as he continued to leave the door open to all possible scenarios. 

"We're trying to apply a little bit of science, and that takes some time," Permane said over the Brazil weekend. 

"So we are looking at everything and studying, analysing, and time is on our side. We're not in a rush to do anything, and I'm very confident the right decision will be made.”

Lawson losing his F1 seat would be a travesty - Larkam

Lawson losing his F1 seat for 2027 would have been nothing short of an absolute travesty. 

The New Zealander has had an incredible season and has consistently been the stand-out performer in the F1 midfield, so finding himself without a drive would have been incredibly unfair. 

Lawson has underlined his resilience and maturity in the way he handled and bounced back from his brutal Red Bull demotion in early 2025. 

He has returned an even better driver than before in 2026 and led Racing Bulls’ charge to surely clinching fifth place in the constructors’ championship, which would mark the Faenza squad’s best ever finish in F1. 

Lawson has been an instrumental part of Racing Bulls’ success this season, scoring points in all but four races, including a highest finish of fifth place in Monaco. 

He has also proved to be a fantastic benchmark for highly-rated rookie Lindblad, who is having a strong debut season alongside him. 

While Red Bull is all about bringing through the next big thing into F1, there is no harm in delaying Tsolov's debut by a year or two, particularly as it has burned so many promising young drivers through putting them in the firing line too soon.

In the meantime, Tsolov could either continue for a second season in F2 (if he doesn't win the title), or race in another series, alongside getting extensive and valuable F1 running with Red Bull and Racing Bulls in preparation for a 2028 promotion.