With his Formula One future increasingly in the spotlight, Liam Lawson can bank on his past successes in Singapore in his need to make a statement to Red Bull.
As Red Bull continue to deliberate on the make-up of their driver line-ups for 2026, Lawson’s place is yet to be confirmed, with the Kiwi in all likelihood looking to remain with his current side, Racing Bulls.
After his results in his rookie season, teammate Isack Hadjar appears all but confirmed to have secured promotion into Red Bull’s senior ranks alongside Max Verstappen, although there is little clarity over Lawson’s future – yet.
The Herald has previously reported that Lawson will remain with Racing Bulls, and partner Formula Two driver Arvid Lindblad.
However, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies’ relationship with Yuki Tsunoda could also throw the Japanese driver a lifeline, with his future also appearing to lie on the outer after his commercial backer Honda leaves the team to join Aston Martin next year.
Results, then, become Lawson’s currency. Last month, a fifth-place finish at Azerbaijan’s Baku City Circuit gave another reminder of Lawson’s upside for Racing Bulls, after qualifying third, but holding off four faster cars to net a career-best result.
That finish came ahead of both Tsunoda in sixth, and Hadjar in 10th.
And as Formula One resumes in Singapore this weekend, Lawson can look back at his own record to take confidence into the Grand Prix.
Singapore 2025 marks the first time in his Formula One career that Lawson returns to a track on which he’s previously scored points.
In 2023, deputising for an injured Daniel Ricciardo, Lawson qualified 10th and finished ninth on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. In doing that, the Kiwi knocked Verstappen out of qualifying, in the only race Red Bull did not win that season.
Naturally, then, Lawson relishes his return to Singapore.
“I love this place, it’s cool to be back,” Lawson said. “I was here last year, just watching, it’s crazy to think it’s been two years since I raced here and started my journey in Formula One.”
Regardless of how he feels, though, Lawson’s future will be a topic of conversation until it’s resolved.
Red Bull senior adviser Dr Helmut Marko has indicated that a decision will at the very least be made by the end of this month. In effect, that leaves Lawson and Tsunoda in particular just three races to prove why they deserve to stay on the grid.
Two of those, Singapore and Austin, are tracks Lawson has scored points on.
“In terms of next year and my future situation, it’s just something I’m not thinking about,” he continued. “I’m just trying to keep the focus on driving at the moment.
“The chats are always the same: it’s perform under pressure. It’s obviously what I’ve been trying to do since I was very young, and I’ve gotten used to doing.
“It’s something that can be intense at the time, but it’s about coming away from those discussions and knowing what’s actually going to help [make] that decision, what’s going to make a difference and secure me a future in Formula One.
“That’s results, that’s all I’m focused on.”
Helping Lawson’s cause is that his team have performed well on street circuits this year.
In both Monaco and Azerbaijan, Racing Bulls scored double-points finishes through Lawson and Hadjar.
In comparison with the difficult RB21, which Lawson was afforded just two grands prix in before he was demoted by Red Bull, Racing Bulls’ VCARB02 appears a more well-rounded machine, albeit with a pace disadvantage.
After Baku, Racing Bulls hold a 10-point advantage over Aston Martin in the constructors championship, but still trail Williams by 29 points in the battle for fifth – behind the sport’s four giants.
“The main thing for us is that we’ve had a very strong car consistently across the board,” he explained.
“It’s not necessarily the quickest of the midfield sometimes, but it is very, very consistent across the races.
“We hope that’s the case this weekend, but at the same time, it’s really hard to know.
“It’s so close this year, right now especially.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.