David Croft predicts whether Liam Lawson will keep his Racing Bulls seat for the 2026 F1 season

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Liam Lawson could be informed about his Racing Bulls future after this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix. The bosses at Red Bull have repeatedly stated that a decision will be made following the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

It’s an open secret in the F1 paddock that Isack Hadjar will join Red Bull, replacing Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver’s only hope of staying on the grid is returning to Racing Bulls.

Racing Bulls haven’t ruled out reuniting Tsunoda and Lawson, who have already had two stints together as teammates – one in 2023 when Daniel Ricciardo was injured and another at the end of last year following the Australian’s permanent exit.

However, Arvid Lindblad is pushing hard to step up from Formula 2. Lawson was dropped by Red Bull at the start of the year and Tsunoda is facing the same fate, so Helmut Marko may be keen to introduce the next young talent.

David Croft expects Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad to fill Racing Bulls seats

On the latest episode of Sky Sports’ F1 podcast, David Croft was asked to predict Racing Bulls’ 2026 line-up. He expects Lawson to keep his seat, alongside Lindblad.

It’s already been suggested that Tsunoda won’t get a second chance at Racing Bulls, which means he could depart the family altogether. He’s been able to rely on the backing of Honda, but the Japanese giants will no longer supply Red Bull’s engines from next year.

Croft’s colleague Karun Chandhok says it would be the right decision to retain Lawson. He’s seen him make progress by outperforming Hadjar in four of the last seven weekends.

Host Simon Lazenby asked: “What’s the Racing Bulls line-up for next year?”

Croft replied: “Arvid Lindblad, Liam Lawson.”

Chandhok then added: “I hope that they give Liam another go. He’s been on a turbulent journey this year, but actually, he’s come back a bit. He’s been closer to Isack in the last seven, eight weekends. I hope they give him another full season.”

Did Red Bull partners hint that Liam Lawson decision has already been made?

Ralf Schumacher doesn’t rate Lawson, suggesting he isn’t as good as his nephew Mick, who lost his F1 seat at the end of 2022. But he had to perform in difficult circumstances for most of his career.

His first races in 2023 came at short notice, then he jumped into the 2024 car with only a quarter of the season remaining. A move to Red Bull appeared to come too soon, though many still feel Christian Horner axed him too early.

Now that Lawson has finally had a consistent run in one car, his form has been solid. With 30 points, he’s only nine behind Hadjar despite the Frenchman’s headline-grabbing Zandvoort podium.

Lawson featured heavily in Ford’s recent promotional campaign ahead of the company’s 2026 partnership with Red Bull. Perhaps that’s a hint that Croft is right, and he’ll stay put for next year.