How Liam Lawson ‘convinced’ Racing Bulls to retain him for 2026 ahead of Yuki Tsunoda

Liam Lawson appears to have done enough to convince Racing Bulls that he deserves a seat on the Formula 1 grid in 2026.

Racing Bulls left the Qatar Grand Prix as the only team that had yet to confirm either of their drivers for next season.

Alan Permane’s team appeared to be on for a bumper haul of points that could have all but confirmed sixth place in the constructors’ championship before Isack Hadjar’s late puncture.

Thankfully, they could still rely on Liam Lawson finishing ninth and grabbing two more points, even if Aston Martin narrowed the gap through Fernando Alonso.

Importantly for Lawson, he finished immediately ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, who looks set to be dropped by Red Bull for Hadjar.

Who has been your Qatar Grand Prix Driver of the Day?

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed after the race that an announcement would be made on Tuesday on their 2026 line-up.

It looks like Lawson will drive for Racing Bulls next year, alongside Formula 2 star Arvid Lindblad.

How Liam Lawson ‘convinced’ Racing Bulls to hand him a 2026 Formula 1 contract

A report from The Race has shared more details about the situation behind the scenes at Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

Unless something changes in the final hours before the announcement, Max Verstappen will be joined by Hadjar next year, and Lawson will be joined by 18-year-old Lindblad.

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Here’s who F1 Oversteer readers thought would be in the 2026 Racing Bulls line up. Did they make the right decision?

DRIVER PAIRING	VOTES
Liam Lawson & Arvid Lindblad	64.00%
Liam Lawson & Isack Hadjar	19.87%
Liam Lawson & Yuki Tsunoda	6.33%
Yuki Tsunoda & Arvid Lindblad	4.44%
Isack Hadjar & Arvid Lindblad	3.93%
Isack Hadjar & Yuki Tsunoda	1.43%

Who F1 Oversteer fans voted for to race for Racing Bulls in 2026

The Race point out that Lawson has ‘rebuilt his reputation’ alongside Hadjar after his demotion, and ‘convinced Red Bull bosses’ that he’s worth being retained.

Since Hadjar’s podium at Zandvoort, the Frenchman has scored 14 points, and Lawson has added 18 points to his tally.

The New Zealander revealed that there had, ‘unfortunately, not’ been news on his future immediately after the race in Qatar, but Ted Kravitz was confident of Lawson’s retention.

Liam Lawson overcomes Honda influence in Racing Bulls’ decision

Tsunoda has been outscored by Verstappen by more than 300 points, and while it’s impossible to know how Lawson would have adapted had he been given a full season at Red Bull, it wasn’t shaping up to be a brilliant campaign for the 23-year-old.

However, the fact that Lawson sits above Tsunoda in the drivers’ championship with one race to go suggests that Red Bull are making the right decision by retaining him.

Helmut Marko has already delivered his verdict on Arvid Lindblad!

“And we are not looking for a new Max, we’re looking for a new champion.

“And I think the next one, which looks really promising is Arvid Lindblad.

“And he was in his first year in Formula 4, even he didn’t win the championship. The same applies to F3, he could have won the championship, but circumstances and so on.

“But what makes him outstanding is his pure speed.

“In one of the Formula 3 races he overtook in one lap, I don’t know, 10 or 14 other drivers, he won the race from being last in these tricky conditions.”
Helmut Marko on Arvid Lindblad ahead of the 2025 Formula 2 season

Honda tried to influence Red Bull’s decision to keep Tsunoda, even if they will no longer be partners heading into 2026.

Lawson had an incident with Leclerc in the Sprint Race in Qatar that drew a reaction from fans, and he’s never been far away from a clash on the track.

However, he’s also proven himself to be extremely quick at times, and that blend of being entertaining and competitive is exactly what Formula 1 needs going forward.

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