Liam Lawson reveals timeline for F1 future decision

Liam Lawson feels he is "in a better position" for his F1 future this year than at the same stage of last season.

Ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lawson has returned to Racing Bulls after a three-race spell filling in at Red Bull, where he deputised for Isack Hadjar after the French driver sustained a wrist injury whilst training over the summer break.

With Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies committing to Hadjar alongside Max Verstappen for 2027, it has closed off any path back to the main outfit for Lawson, whose F1 future now rests with Racing Bulls.

Asked how talks over his future were progressing, speaking to the media ahead of the Baku race, including RacingNews365, Lawson said: "Probably [an announcement] soon. I would say the next few races.

"This time of year is obviously when all of these decisions get made. It's something that's obviously being discussed in the background.

"For me, it's not something I'm really discussing too much. I'm just trying to keep the string of points going. That was maybe what made the races at Red Bull a little bit more of a challenge, or maybe had me a little bit more vulnerable.

"Just because it's a car that's quite difficult to drive, and I'm not used to it, and at this time of year, it's obviously quite tough. But they were good, and now I'm excited to be back."

Consistency the key for Lawson

Last year, Lawson had to wait until the start of December before he was confirmed for a seat with Racing Bulls. That had followed a difficult start to the year with his demotion from Red Bull after just two races.

Whether this year felt less stressful than 12 months ago, Lawson said: "For sure, I feel in a better position than I have done in the past.

"Last year was definitely more difficult to have a consistency of results that this year we've managed to honestly find, and that's been really, really good.

"So yeah, I feel better than I did last year. So hopefully that helps going into next year."

Lawson's sixth-place finish last time out in Spain, his best result of the campaign, has strengthened his case. Overall, he has scored points in 10 of 14 grands prix to lie ninth in the drivers' standings.