Liam Lawson was one of the standouts from Las Vegas qualifying, starting on the third row. But his race slipped away quickly, eventually finishing 14th and well outside the points.
Lawson said his issues began with a poor getaway at a slippery turn one, where he made contact with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar showed the Racing Bulls had strong pace by finishing eighth (later promoted to sixth after the McLaren disqualifications).
The timing could not be worse for Lawson, who remains one of the few drivers without a confirmed seat for 2025. Most believe he is in direct competition with Yuki Tsunoda for a Racing Bulls seat.
Tsunoda has not been much better lately. In Las Vegas, he failed to score points for the fourth time in five races and still trails Lawson by eight points in the standings.
Liam Lawson tipped to mentor Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls
The New Zealand Herald reports that Red Bull want Lawson to stay with Racing Bulls in 2026.
With Hadjar expected to move up to Red Bull and Arvid Lindblad stepping into the open seat at Racing Bulls, Tsunoda is projected to lose his spot on the grid as a result.
The Milton Keynes outfit are looking at Lawson as someone who can help guide Lindblad, who they internally view as ‘the next Max Verstappen’.
Lawson has only 33 starts under his belt, though those are spread across three different seasons. He also spent some time with the main Red Bull team and is often held up internally as a good example of how to handle setbacks.
Lindblad would be just the fifth driver aged 18 or younger to start an F1 race, joining Oliver Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Lance Stroll and Verstappen on that short list.
Jenson Button says Yuki Tsunoda is falling short of what is required at Red Bull
Lawson’s results alone make a case for keeping him in the seat, but the real win is simply staying on the grid. As the report mentions, it also gives him a chance to put himself ‘in the shop window for another team’.
The New Zealander is well aware that his chances of getting back into a Red Bull seat are slim to none. So with more opportunities opening up next year, he will have more flexibility to look around.
Ted Kravitz has pointed out that Lawson’s improvement at Racing Bulls supports Tsunoda’s claim that the Red Bull car was an issue, not the driver.
But Jenson Button believes the Milton Keynes outfit will not win another constructors’ title with Tsunoda and thinks they will keep rotating drivers alongside Verstappen until they find someone who fits.
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