Gary Anderson tells Liam Lawson the two things Red Bull will now want to see after 2026 decision

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Gary Anderson thinks Red Bull made a “wise” decision keeping Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls for 2026 to partner F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad, but they both have points to prove.

The Milton Keynes and Faenza outfits finally announced their driver line-ups for the 2026 F1 season on Tuesday. Red Bull will now promote Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda in their line-up, while Lindblad steps up from F2 to join Lawson in their junior team.

Red Bull had widely been expected to promote Hadjar to partner with Max Verstappen from the 2026 season for months. But they continued to deliberate over moving Tsunoda back to Racing Bulls, and, had they done so, whether Lawson would make way to promote Lindblad.

Ultimately, Lawson won his fight with Tsunoda for the 2026 Racing Bulls seat, with the latter having to instead adopt a test and reserve driver role for both Red Bull teams next year. The 2026 campaign will be just Lawson’s second full season on the grid after the current season.

Gary Anderson tells Liam Lawson to improve his ‘speed and professionalism’ at Racing Bulls in 2026

Lawson started the 2025 F1 season at Red Bull, having moved up from Racing Bulls following his second string of cameos during 2024 to replace Sergio Perez. But the Kiwi only got two rounds with Red Bull, before he switched seats with Tsunoda for the remainder of this term.

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

Anderson would have liked Red Bull to have given Lawson a second chance in 2026, but it is still a “wise move” to keep him at Racing Bulls given next year will see the start of the latest regulations era. Having a full year at Racing Bulls will also offer Lawson a chance to improve.

Anderson told The Race: “Keeping Lawson for consistency is a wise move. He didn’t get a real crack at it when he was promoted to Red Bull, so I think there is still some speed and professionalism in there to tap into. I think the jury is still out on Lindblad.

“He hasn’t been as consistent in Formula 2 as I think he should be before stepping up to the big time. But he has now got the opportunity to show what he is worth. He just has to make the best of it. And with the change in regulations, at least it all starts from a clean sheet.”

Since Lawson returned to Racing Bulls this March, he has only scored points in back-to-back Grands Prix once through 21 rounds. The Hastings native has achieved seven top-10 finishes for Racing Bulls so far this term, but only his P8s in Belgium and Hungary were successive.

Alex Dunne is in talks with Alpine after Red Bull rejected the former McLaren junior

McLaren releasing Alex Dunne from their driver academy at the start of October also threw another name into the mix for a potential 2026 Racing Bulls drive, alongside the battle that Lawson faced from Tsunoda and Lindblad. But Dunne will not represent the Red Bull family.

READ MORE: Who is ex-McLaren junior driver Alex Dunne? Everything you need to know

That is according to BBC Sport, which reports that Red Bull showed an interest in Dunne for their 2026 driver academy line-up. Yet while motorsport adviser Helmut Marko supported a move for Dunne, other senior Red Bull figures did not advocate a swoop for the 20-year-old.

Dunne will now play no part in Red Bull’s plans, and he is instead exploring a deal to join the junior ranks of Alpine. Talks are ongoing between the Irishman and the Renault-owned team about a position in their academy. Dunne will also continue to race in F2 with Rodin in 2026.