Liam Lawson has been waiting to see if Racing Bulls will retain him for the 2027 season, given the New Zealand driver will run out of his current contract at the end of this year. With clouds of uncertainty taking over his skies, Lawson has a sliver of hope, thanks to the words of Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer.
“He has certainly done everything to prove himself. That’s also the general consensus in the paddock,” said Bayer when talking to the F1 media and discussing what the future holds for the No. 30 driver.
However, Bayer’s words should also be equally concerning for Lawson, given the Racing Bulls CEO’s ambiguous statement. He claimed that Racing Bulls has been playing a leading role in bringing new talent to Formula 1 and has so far helped 22 drivers make it to the sport.
The list includes Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, and that’s why Bayer has left the ultimate decision in the hands of team principal Alan Permane. “He’ll make the right choice for the team.”
While Bayer’s words might not mean too much at first glance, the statement carries deeper meaning when the prospect of Nikola Tsolov is considered.
Liam Lawson Might Lose His Seat to Red Bull Junior
With Bayer insisting that his team’s primary focus remains on assessing and honing young talent for the premier level of Formula racing, the prospect of Tsolov taking up the Racing Bulls seat remains a real possibility. Speculation within the paddock already suggests that Lawson’s seat is under threat from the Bulgarian driver.
To make matters a bit more concerning, Bayer has also been happy with the way Tsolov has developed in F2 so far. The 19-year-old took part in the Mexican GP FP1 session, marking his F1 debut. Having ironically replaced Lawson in the session, he finished in P12, earning high praise from Bayer.
“Nikola’s stint on Friday was really great,” Bayer noted as he highlighted it was the Bulgarian’s first time in an F1 car. Having integrated “perfectly” into the team, Bayer didn’t want to say too much about the future lineup of the team. Thus, he said that Permane will be making the announcements around the driver lineup whenever he sees fit.
And while all that goes on, Lawson might not have done himself a favor by butting heads with Max Verstappen at the Mexican GP FP2.
Verstappen Far From Happy With Liam Lawson in Mexico City
Following the events of Friday, where Lawson seemingly tried to drive Verstappen off the track, the Red Bull ace driver urged his sister team’s driver to ‘act a little bit smarter‘ on the track. Asserting that he won’t let any driver push him around, Verstappen detailed that he expects drivers from Racing Bulls to respect their senior team.
Having never ‘disrespected’ a Red Bull driver when he was at Toro Rosso, Verstappen expects the same from others. He then went on to advise Lawson to think about the situation that he was in.
With no driving seat confirmed for him in 2027, Verstappen feels that Lawson shouldn’t be picking a fight with him. Having always supported the New Zealander and speaking positively about him within the team, the Dutchman felt that it was unfortunate to see something like that happen on the track.
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