Liam Lawson has taken steps to get his F1 career back on track following his demotion by Red Bull, but where he will be driving after the 2025 season remains up in the air.
At the start of the 2025 season, Lawson saw his long-held dream become reality when he stepped into Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull. But that opportunity was short-lived, as he was sent back to Racing Bulls after just two races, swapping places with Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the campaign.
The New Zealander has steadily found his rhythm in Faenza, accumulating 20 points since scoring his first points of the season with P8 in the Monaco Grand Prix. His impressive performances also include a P6 finish in the Austrian GP and P8 finishes in both the Belgian and Hungarian GPs.
Despite those performances, there still has not been any word from Red Bull about a contract for next year. With his deal running out at season’s end and only Mercedes and Alpine yet to fill their seats for 2026, options are beginning to look limited.
Helmut Marko takes a different view to some inside Red Bull on Arvid Lindblad’s F1 readiness
Lawson’s team is eager for Red Bull to make an early call on their 2026 plans, hoping it does not affect a possible move to Alpine. The French outfit has not committed to Franco Colapinto for next season either, as the Argentine remains point-less in 2025.
But according to RacingNews365, there is also a split within Red Bull’s leadership that could be holding up any announcement about Lawson and Racing Bulls. Helmut Marko is reportedly keen on bringing Arvid Lindblad up from Formula 2 for the 2026 campaign.
Their main concern is not just about his age or experience, but how he might handle the sweeping rule changes coming in 2026.
Lindblad has shown flashes of potential, with a Sprint Race win in Jeddah and a Feature Race victory in Barcelona. But consistency has been lacking, as he has only finished in the points three times over his last ten outings.
The Briton also had a tough weekend at Monza. He was involved in two separate incidents during the Feature Race: first taking out McLaren junior Alex Dunne at Ascari Chicane and later colliding with Roman Stanek.
Arvid Lindblad could partner Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, with Liam Lawson left out
Campos bears some responsibility for Lindblad’s collision with Invicta Racing driver Stanek in the F2 Feature Race at Monza. The team chose not to replace his front wing after he locked up under braking, which had earlier sent Dunne into the barriers at Ascari.
A recent report from RacingNews365 also mentioned that Lindblad may have crashed during a Testing of Previous Car session at Monza. Despite this, Marko stands by his belief that Lindblad should be promoted.
Red Bull are reportedly considering bringing Lindblad back to Racing Bulls for his F1 debut, potentially at the expense of either Lawson or Tsunoda. It is believed that the Japanese driver has the edge over Lawson, as he is highly regarded by Laurent Mekies.
On the other hand, F1 Oversteer sources indicate that Racing Bulls may be considering both for their 2026 F1 driver line-up.
This move could offer Lawson his best opportunity to remain in F1. Lindblad, meanwhile, might spend another year in F2 to further develop his skills before potentially making his debut in 2027.
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