Liam Lawson has hinted his F1 future could lie away from the Red Bull family of teams, but that options for 2026 are limited.
The New Zealander was promoted to the senior team at the start of 2025 as Sergio Perez's replacement, but was brutally axed after just two races and demoted back to Racing Bulls, swapping with Yuki Tsunoda.
Tsunoda himself has struggled alongside Max Verstappen, and it appears that Isack Hadjar is set to receive the nod to partner the Dutchman for next season with Tsunoda either returning to Racing Bulls or leaving the Red Bull family altogether.
Red Bull's F2 junior Arvid Lindblad has been strongly linked with a promotion to Racing Bulls, with the team set to make a decision before the end of the season on its driver line-ups for 2026.
Lawson's name has not been linked with a return after his failed spell with Red Bull, as he conceded that he could have to look elsewhere for to be in a position to win, although only the second Alpine seat remains available outside of Red Bull's four-backed cars.
"We’re all chasing the dream, the first goal is getting into F1, but we’re all here to try and win," Lawson told media, including RacingNews365.
"I spent a long time, especially joining [Red Bull] as a junior at 17, just looking at how to get to Red Bull Racing, that was where I saw my future. Maybe… Not that I forgot why I do it, but that was so much of the goal.
"It’s easier now to sit back and realise the goal has always been winning and getting to the top, and it doesn’t need to be specific to where that is.
"As drivers, the main thing for us is to be in Formula 1, so we’re focused on securing a seat, and honestly, that’s my goal at the moment.
"In terms of other teams, I think pretty much everyone is either locked in or has a pretty good idea of what they’re doing next year anyway.
"Right now, it’s mostly talks with Red Bull and trying to secure a seat where I am at the moment. Beyond that, I think it’s at a point where most of them [other seats] are pretty much gone, I would say."
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