Kiwi Formula One driver Liam Lawson will keep his seat at Racing Bulls when Red Bull confirm their 2026 lineup tonight, according to a report.
Dutch publication De Telegraaf is reporting several sources have confirmed that Lawson will retain his place on the junior team next year, with Yuki Tsunoda to be dropped from Red Bull, to be replaced by Lawson’s current teammate Isack Hadjar.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies said following yesterday’s Qatar Grand Prix they would be making an announcement on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT) ahead of the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
“All I can tell you is that we will in fact stick to our plan and we will announce on Tuesday what the driver line-up is,” Mekies told media. “We are confident it will not disturb the focus in Abu Dhabi.”
As first reported by the Herald in July, Lawson will remain at Racing Bulls, as the team’s senior driver, a role he’s already filled this year alongside rookie Hadjar.
According to De Telegraaf, Hadjar will be promoted to be the teammate of Max Verstappen at Red Bull next season, while Formula Two driver Arvid Lindblad will move up to the Racing Bulls team to partner Lawson.
Lawson edges out five-year veteran Tsunoda after also just finishing ahead of him for ninth place in Qatar.
Despite replacing Lawson in the Red Bull set up two races into the season, Tsunoda struggled throughout the year and sits five points behind the Kiwi on the driver standings.
Ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, a despondent-sounding Tsunoda revealed he knew something about his future that he couldn’t disclose.
“I know something that I can’t share with you guys,” he said. “But probably most people know it.
“I’m [of] a similar understanding as you guys. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
“Let’s see.”
Tsunoda has been linked with the American IndyCar series.
While the 25-year-old has been part of Red Bull’s junior development programme, and on the Formula One grid since 2021 with AlphaTauri, Racing Bulls and the senior team, Tsunoda’s position has always been linked to engine supplier Honda, one of his primary backers.
The Herald understands that Honda pays an annual sum of about US$10 million ($17.4m) to Red Bull to guarantee Tsunoda a place at one of its two teams.
Earlier this year, when Lawson was demoted from Red Bull to Racing Bulls after two races, Tsunoda took his place in the top team and that payment was understood to have been doubled.
However, Honda is departing Red Bull for Aston Martin at the end of this season, leaving Tsunoda’s future in doubt. At present, Red Bull have only Verstappen confirmed in a seat for next year.
Earlier this year, Red Bull senior adviser Helmut Marko gave a deadline of the Mexican Grand Prix to decide on the two teams’ driver line-ups. After Mexico, that decision was pushed back until after Qatar.
The season ends in Abu Dhabi on Monday morning, with McLaren drivers Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Verstappen all in the running for the title.