Liam Lawson handed staggering verdict over Racing Bulls future

Liam Lawson has been given an overwhelming vote of confidence going into the remainder of the F1 campaign.

Lawson has enjoyed a strong season so far with Racing Bulls, which has also included a three-race cameo with Red Bull after Isack Hadjar broke a wrist in training during the summer break.

The New Zealander has scored points in 10 of the 15 rounds, including highs of sixth in the Monaco, British and Spanish Grands Prix.

Racing Bulls, though, has yet to confirm its driver line-up for next season, in particular with Red Bull junior and F2 title challenger Nikola Tsolov pushing for a place on the F1 grid.

In a RacingNews365 poll, we asked whether Lawson had done enough to retain his seat.

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Lawson did 'a very good job'

In one of the most comprehensive results we have seen, just under 95 per cent agreed that he deserved another year.

Just 2.5 per cent of voters felt another junior driver should be given a chance, while the remaining 2.5 per cent said the team should wait until the end of the season before making a call.

From the perspective of Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies and Racing Bulls counterpart Alan Permane, it is clear they feel Lawson has performed well this year, strongly pointing to the fact he will be handed a fresh deal for 2027.

"He's done a very good job," said Mekies recently on Lawson's short return to Red Bull. "I think we all know how difficult it is to jump to a different team, to a different car, and I think that he has done that to the best of what could have been our expectations.

"So, I think he did a very good job, again very different pictures compared to the first two races of 2025 when he was in the team, so we are thankful and happy with that."

Permane also pointed to Lawson's chemistry with team-mate Arvid Lindblad after he returned from his Red Bull cover duty.

"Much as we love Yuki [Tsunoda], and the whole team does, he's a very popular figure, it's good to have Liam back in his car, in the team, working very, very well with Arvid," said Permane. "Those two lift each other up through the weekend."