Liam Lawson still faces a make-or-break 2026 after Red Bull driver decision for three key reasons

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Red Bull have announced that Liam Lawson will stay with Racing Bulls for the 2026 F1 season and partner rookie Arvid Lindblad, with Yuki Tsunoda moved to a reserve role.

The three drivers were all fighting for the two Racing Bulls seats next year. But three into two does not go, and Tsunoda has now been confirmed as the driver who lost out. Red Bull think Lawson will be a better teammate for Lindblad, as they bring him into F1 in their sister team.

Tsunoda could have returned to Racing Bulls in the 2026 F1 season to replace Lawson, as he will now lose his seat at Red Bull to Isack Hadjar next term. But Lawson produced enough for the Faenza crew after losing his seat at Red Bull to Tsunoda in March to get another season.

Red Bull confirm Liam Lawson as a 2026 Racing Bulls F1 driver alongside Arvid Lindblad

Lindblad has enjoyed a rapid rise up the junior classes in recent seasons, despite only having mixed success in some categories. The British-Swedish 18-year-old only secured third in the 2023 Italian F4 championship, fourth in F3 in 2024 and currently sits seventh in F2 in 2025.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

But while Lawson has survived the threat of Tsunoda taking his seat twice through the space of eight months, the 23-year-old still faces a make-or-break season in 2026. Red Bull only announced on Tuesday that Lawson will drive for Racing Bulls alongside Lindblad next year.

Red Bull view Liam Lawson as a mentor for F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad in 2026

One of the reasons why next year remains a make-or-break term for Lawson after securing another year with Racing Bulls is how Red Bull view the New Zealander alongside Lindblad. It is said that Red Bull view Lawson as a mentor for Lindblad in his rookie term for Racing Bulls.

Red Bull believe Lawson’s ability to help nurture their latest prospect off the ranks was worth more to them than the results he achieved for Racing Bulls in 2025 alone. The Hastings-born star has scored 38 points over seven of his 21 rounds for the Faenza crew so far this season.

Lindblad is the young prospect whom Red Bull are betting on being their next big thing, with the Milton Keynes squad looking at the Briton as their future driver. The 2026 F1 season will only be Lawson’s second full year on the grid, but he has been in the F1 paddock since 2022.

Red Bull first used Lawson as an FP1 young driver in the 2022 campaign for both of their two teams. The Kiwi also gained experience at Racing Bulls after contesting five races in 2023 following an injury to Daniel Ricciardo, who he also replaced for the final six rounds of 2024.

Liam Lawson must obliterate Arvid Lindblad to show Red Bull he deserves a second chance

Lawson will hope to obliterate Lindblad in his rookie season with Racing Bulls next year, even beyond Red Bull viewing the Kiwi as a mentor for the young British racer. He will know that it is vital he destroys Lindblad to stand any chance of securing a future with the Red Bull team.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad? Everything you need to know

It already seems extremely unlikely that Lawson will ever return to Red Bull after he was put back in the Racing Bulls line-up after only the opening two rounds of the 2025 F1 season. He barely had a chance to adapt in their main team after replacing Sergio Perez last December.

Motorsport adviser Helmut Marko said it was a “mistake” to promote Lawson to Red Bull in March, having seen the Kiwi fail to get to grips with the RB21. He retired from the Australian Grand Prix and then finished P12 in the Chinese Grand Prix, for which he even qualified last.

Red Bull grew frustrated with Lawson’s difficulties adapting to the RB21, despite the opening rounds being at circuits he had never raced at. Lawson did not visit Melbourne or Shanghai through his junior career, whereas Lindblad raced in Australia in F3 in 2024 and F2 in 2025.

Liam Lawson will want to throw his hat in the ring for the 2027 F1 driver market

Even if Lawson cannot show Red Bull enough to earn a return to their main team with what he produces for Racing Bulls in 2026, he will be desperate to at least impress rival F1 teams. The F1 driver market is likely to explode in 2026, with a raft of stars set to be out of contract.

On paper, only McLaren and Cadillac have both of their drivers locked down through at least 2027. Ferrari could also retain Lewis Hamilton alongside Charles Leclerc beyond the close of next term, while Mercedes could also opt to keep George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Yet even McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari could find themselves involved in the driver market next year. So, Lawson will not want to waste any opportunities to impress 10 of the 11 teams on the 2026 grid. The Kiwi does not currently have a natural alternative to Red Bull for 2027.