Formula 1: Liam Lawson to sit out of Mexican Grand Prix practice in final weekend before Red Bull’s 2026 lineup decision

Liam Lawson will sit out of the weekend’s first practice session at Formula One’s Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The 23-year-old will be replaced by Racing Bulls’ reserve, Ayumu Iwasa as part of Formula One’s regulations that mean teams are required to give sessions to rookie drivers.

Formula One’s 10 teams must give a rookie – a driver who has raced in no more than two grands prix – four practice sessions over the course of a season, split evenly across its two cars.

Iwasa was given a similar opportunity at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, in place of Australian Daniel Ricciardo.

Lawson himself was afforded his first taste in Formula One through these sessions in 2022, twice with AlphaTauri – now Racing Bulls – in Belgium and Mexico and once with Red Bull in place of Max Verstappen.

Iwasa stepping into Racing Bulls’ No 30 car comes with Red Bull using the Mexican Grand Prix weekend as its final chance to evaluate Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda for a 2026 seat.

Lawson and Tsunoda, who replaced the Kiwi at Red Bull two grands prix into the 2025 campaign, are understood to be in competition for a seat with Racing Bulls.

With five grands prix and two sprints to go in 2025, Lawson holds a two-point lead over Tsunoda in the drivers’ championship despite having an inferior car.

Lawson’s Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar is expected to take Tsunoda’s place at Red Bull. Meanwhile, rookie driver Arvid Lindblad, who will replace Verstappen for FP1 in Mexico, is tipped to be promoted from Formula Two to Racing Bulls.

Whether or not Lawson being the driver to make way for Iwasa is any indication of his prospects is unclear.

Potentially in the Kiwi’s favour, though, is that Ford, which will supply engines for Red Bull and Racing Bulls from 2026, used Lawson in promotional content during the US Grand Prix in Austin last week.

Tsunoda’s place at Red Bull is largely tied to current engine supplier Honda and the Japanese manufacturer is set to join Aston Martin in 2026.

Current Formula Two driver Alex Dunne, who was released from his contract with McLaren, had also been tipped to be in the equation for a Racing Bulls seat.

However, the 19-year-old would be unable to advance into Formula One in 2026 because he does not hold a super licence required to compete in motorsport’s pinnacle.

Racing Bulls are not the only team to give a rookie driver a session in Mexico.

Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, Aston Martin, Haas and Alpine will also see their juniors take part in the first session.

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.