Liam Lawson told he could be ‘holding’ a Racing Bulls seat for the driver Helmut Marko wants in 2027

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Liam Lawson is fighting to keep his seat at Racing Bulls for the 2026 Formula 1 season, but it may not even matter in the long term.

The New Zealander has been rebuilding his confidence after being dropped by Red Bull just two races into 2025. Since returning to Racing Bulls, he has dramatically improved his performances, scoring 30 points and achieving a best finish of fifth in Baku.

Lawson is now battling with several other Red Bull drivers for a seat on the grid in 2026. Only Max Verstappen is confirmed for next season, but rumours are rife as to what their driver line-ups will look like.

It is believed that Isack Hadjar will race with Red Bull in 2026 after having a strong rookie season with Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda looks set to lose his seat, but a return to Racing Bulls has not been ruled out for the Japanese driver.

However, he faces competition from not only Lawson, but F2 junior Arvid Lindblad is also being considered for a seat at the Faenza squad. Tsunoda is battling with his ex-teammate for a spot on the grid, but in the end, it makes little difference for their F1 futures.

Liam Lawson told he could be ‘holding’ a Racing Bulls seat for Alex Dunne in 2027

Journalist Andrew Benson spoke via BBC Radio 5 Live (24/10, 7:36 pm) about Red Bull and Racing Bulls’ driver line-up for 2026. He understands that Hadjar will be joining the former and Lindblad will be promoted to the latter next year.

The second Racing Bulls seat is between Tsunoda and Lawson, but according to Benson, they could be ‘holding’ it for Alex Dunne, who stands a chance of joining the team in 2027.

“So, I think I know what’s happening, more or less, with the Red Bull and Racing Bulls seats,” he said. “I’m pretty sure Isack Hadjar’s going to be getting the seat next to Max Verstappen and I’m pretty sure that Lindblad, who’s driving the Red Bull [in FP1].

“Lindblad will get one of the Racing Bulls seats and the other Racing Bulls seat is between Tsunoda and Lawson.

“Now, it’s almost like it doesn’t matter, but neither of those two are going to get promoted by Red Bull into the main Red Bull team again.

“So they’re almost like holding a place, and that pace, they’re probably holding for Alex Dunne, if he finalises his deal with Red Bull, having got dropped by McLaren.

“I think the chances are he’ll race in F2 again next season with the same team he’s racing for at the moment, which is Rodin. He’ll be kind of like the Red Bull reserve and he’ll be on hand to maybe move up into Racing Bulls either at some point next year, if he looks good enough, or possibly into 2027.”

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

Helmut Marko wants to sign Alex Dunne to Red Bull

Dunne was part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme up until October, when it was confirmed that he would be leaving the team. The Irishman saw no way into an F1 seat, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri tied down to long-term contracts.

Teams have already taken a liking to the F2 driver. Helmut Marko spoke to Dunne over a possible move to Red Bull – he emerged as a contender for a seat at Racing Bulls in 2026.

The 19-year-old had impressed with McLaren during FP1 sessions earlier in the year. But after discussions, Marko ruled out Dunne for a 2026 seat, with the Irishman now having to wait for 2027 for an opportunity.

With Red Bull seemingly keeping Dunne in mind for the future, Lawson is under even more pressure to stay in F1. If he gets the 2026 seat over Tsunoda, he will then have to convince the team to keep him over Dunne for 2027.