Liam Lawson has now thrown a ‘spanner in the works’ over Red Bull’s 2026 driver line-up decision

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Liam Lawson is fighting to stay within Red Bull’s setup in 2026, and he may have produced a late twist in their decision over the driver line-up.

Red Bull dropped the New Zealander after just two races in 2025, having struggled to adapt to the RB21. He failed to get out of Q1 or score points in that time and was subsequently sent back to Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda replacing him.

The Japanese driver has suffered the same fate as he is struggling to produce results in the second car. Tsunoda has scored just 25 points in 19 races for Red Bull, while Lawson is regaining his confidence after returning to the junior team.

Isack Hadjar has had the measure of his teammate for most of the season, showing strong pace and solid qualifying and race performances in his rookie season. But Lawson is starting to close the gap as he sits with 36 points with three races to go.

Hadjar is the favourite to join Red Bull in 2026 and partner with Max Verstappen. However, the decision is being delayed as the team fight for the drivers’ championship and P2 in the constructors’ standings, and Lawson may also have a part to play.

Rachel Brookes says Liam Lawson has ‘thrown a spanner in the works’ over Red Bull’s decision to promote Isack Hadjar

F1 journalist Rachel Brookes ‘100%’ believes that Hadjar will be joining Red Bull. But she has stressed that Lawson has ‘thrown a spanner in the works’ with his recent performances at Racing Bulls.

She said via Midweek F1: “Isack Hadjar is in the Red Bull next year. So, essentially, 100% I believe Isack Hadjar is in the second seat next year. There’s been no announcement.

“They said they would decide after Mexico. They’re not announcing at the moment. I think Liam Lawson’s thrown a little bit of spanner in the works in that he’s done so well recently.

“And so I think the Racing Bulls seats in my opinion would be Lawson and probably Arvid Lindblad because they seem really keen to get Arvid Lindblad in the seat.

“So I would look at Hadjar moving up to Red Bull. I don’t think there’s a place for Yuki, and I think sadly he’s just shown that he’s just struggling so much.”

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

Could a Red Bull return be on the cards for Liam Lawson?

The general feeling is that the Kiwi driver will keep his place at Red Bull’s junior team and Hadjar will get a promotion, with Arvid Lindblad moving up to F1. Karun Chandhok says Lawson brings ‘stability’ to Racing Bulls, hence why he would keep him over Tsunoda.

However, Brookes suggests that Red Bull may be considering a late change and that Lawson could be back in the running for a return to the main team. As aforementioned, he has got much closer to Hadjar in recent races, beating him last time out in Brazil.

Gary Anderson would ‘love’ to see Lawson back at Red Bull, saying that he did not get a fair chance in the car. He had not raced in Melbourne or Shanghai before 2025 and had limited experience with the RB21.

But it is clear that the 23-year-old has more developing to do, and Red Bull have not shied away from being critical. Helmut Marko says Lawson is still too ‘inconsistent’ after finishing P7 in Brazil – it is hard to disagree, given that he has been in the points only six times this season.