Liam Lawson secured the last available seat on the 2026 Formula 1 grid, taking a spot with Racing Bulls ahead of Yuki Tsunoda. Now, he’ll need to show Red Bull that it was the right choice.
Before the season wrapped up in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull revealed their plans for 2026, confirming both their own driver lineup and that of affiliate team Racing Bulls.
Isack Hadjar will move up to join Max Verstappen at Red Bull, while Arvid Lindblad steps into F1 alongside Lawson after just one year in Formula 2.
Tsunoda ends up on the outside looking in, taking a reserve and test role with Red Bull after Honda’s attempt to keep him on the grid didn’t pan out.
Red Bull’s Racing Bulls lineup for 2026 puts the focus on Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson has taken the final seat on the 2026 F1 grid with Racing Bulls, edging out Yuki Tsunoda, but now he needs to prove that Red Bull made the right call.
Before the season wrapped up in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull confirmed their driver line-ups for 2026 and also revealed changes within their affiliate team, Racing Bulls.
Isack Hadjar is set to join Max Verstappen at Red Bull, while Arvid Lindblad will move up to F1 after just one year in Formula 2 to partner with Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls.
The biggest hit falls on Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver will move into a reserve and test role for Red Bull, after Honda’s proposal to keep him racing was turned down by the team.
Liam Lawson faces a “last chance” scenario against Arvid Lindblad next season
During F1 Insider’s build-up coverage of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Ralf Bach was asked about what Red Bull expects from Arvid Lindblad. The young Briton has been promoted quickly through the ranks and will be stepping into a full-time seat for Racing Bulls next year alongside Lawson.
Bach then pointed out that while all eyes may be on Lindblad’s debut season, it’s actually his teammate who is under more pressure heading into 2026.
Lindblad’s experience level is already being questioned before he makes the step up to F1
Bach also raised the point that Red Bull’s newest addition doesn’t have much experience at the junior levels. The 18-year-old only started racing single-seaters in 2022 and has had just one season each in Formula 3 and Formula 2 before moving up again.
There are plenty of voices in the F2 paddock who believe Lindblad would have benefited from another year in the series before making the leap. While he’s reached the podium four times this season, including two wins, he’s also failed to score points in ten races.
It’s a situation similar to what Kimi Antonelli faced earlier this year when his move up after just one year in F2 raised questions about whether he was ready for the top tier.
But Antonelli has managed to steady things as the season has gone on, picking up three podiums so far and giving a much more positive outlook for his future prospects.
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