However, as previously reported by theHerald, the 22-year-old’s current contract with Red Bull contains a clause that he is free to look elsewhere, if not given a place on the 2025 grid by a certain date. That date has now passed, the same day as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
Helmut Marko - who oversees Red Bull’s junior driver programme - outlined this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix as when confirmation will come.
The three other seats across its two teams are already secured for next year, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both signed to Red Bull, while Yuki Tsunoda will drive for Racing Bulls.
Speaking on Red Bull’s Talking Bulls podcast, a potential indicator that Red Bull have made a decision in his favour, Lawson recalled the phone conversation with Red Bull that saw him called up to their junior programme as a teenager.
“Funnily enough, I was actually racing in New Zealand when I got signed,” he said.
“So we have this series – it used to be really, really popular. A lot of F1 guys have been there.
“Lando [Norris] raced in it, Lance Stroll raced in it, a couple of guys in F1 raced in it. It’s called the Toyota Racing Series and it used to run five weeks over January in New Zealand in summertime, whereas everywhere in Europe and the US would be a lot colder, so there’d be no racing.
“So you used to get drivers from all over different championships, really high level.
“So as a kid being into Formula One, I would watch this series every single year, and I dreamed of driving it – to me, it was like the Formula One of racing at the time.
“I finally got to compete in this series after doing my first year in Europe. After the first weekend that, basically I had a really strong first weekend, there was a Red Bull driver racing at the time - Lucas Auer.
“He was racing, he was my teammate. So I guess Helmut [Marko, head of Red Bull’s junior programme] was watching because of Lucas racing. I had a really good first weekend.
“I never thought anything like that would happen. Being a Red Bull Junior was something that... I remember, the year before, I raced in F4 in Europe and Jack Doohan was a Red Bull junior at the time, and we tested together somewhere. Might have been Hockenheim in Germany.
“I remember seeing him walking around in his Red Bull suit and I remember thinking that was so cool and how cool it would be to be a Red Bull Junior.”
Liam Lawson at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Photo / Getty Images
Lawson impressed that weekend, to the point at which he was approached to join the programme, with the phone call leaving the Kiwi unable to walk.
“I got the call up after that first weekend in New Zealand, I found out one or two days after the weekend - I was sitting in a cafe, I remember exactly where I was sitting,” he said.
“I remember I couldn’t walk. It was really strange. I got told, and I was obviously pretty emotional but I was like, ‘Dude, I gotta go for a walk’, and I couldn’t really walk properly. It was super weird.”
The shock hit Lawson hard as he revealed how close his career had come to ending had he not received the support from Red Bull.
“It was a big achievement because, long story short, being from New Zealand and trying to compete overseas, it’s really, really hard to get the money to compete overseas,” he said.
“So we set up, in New Zealand, a group of amazing people that have been behind me, sponsors and investors, the structure to basically get enough money to go to Europe and do a season and try and get recognised by a junior team.
“Because, without it, there was no chance of getting to F1. I did that first season in Europe, and I had a good season, but I didn’t have any call-ups from any teams, and then I just did this championship in New Zealand over the off-season with no plan of what I was doing in 2019, and I got basically picked up at the perfect time, and it saved my career.
“Without it, I had four weeks left in that championship, and then I had no plan after that.”
With Lawson playing the “waiting game” to get clarity on his future, the Kiwi revealed that, prior to recording the interview, he had been hard at work in the simulator.
“That’s basically a lot of what my role is. Obviously, as a reserve, I don’t do so much driving,” he said.
“I don’t do any racing. It’s actually the first time, since I was probably 7-years-old, that I haven’t raced in a championship in a season. So most of my role is development, sort of behind-the-scenes stuff.”
Lawson said it was “tricky” to go back to being a reserve driver after getting a taste of F1 proper.
“It’s obviously part of it. It’s tricky, for sure, especially because I got a sort of very short taste of Formula 1 last year, and it was incredible.
“But, obviously, then I had to step back into this position, and now, basically, it’s a bit of a waiting game. So it gives a different perspective. I’m obviously very fortunate to have done it, and it probably helps my role as reserve more now because I sort of know what it’s like to drive.”
