Kiwi driver Liam Lawson held on to his Racing Bulls seat because he would make a better senior partner for his new, younger teammate, according to a Formula One expert.
Red Bull announced overnight that Lawson will hold his seat as the Racing Bulls senior driver for 2026. The Kiwi will have a new teammate, as Englishman Arvid Lindblad takes the place of Frenchman Isack Hadjar, who has been promoted into Red Bull’s senior ranks alongside reigning Dutch world champion Max Verstappen.
Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda has been demoted from his Red Bull seat to become a reserve driver for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls.
Peter Windsor, former Williams team manager, said the decision to keep Lawson was “pretty clear mid-season”.
He told Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB that Red Bull’s intention to promote Hadjar to Red Bull alongside Verstappen and to bring in Lindblad to drive with Racing Bulls meant Lawson would be preferred as a teammate.
“Much better to put [Lindblad] next to Liam Lawson. For sure they’ll get on well, he’ll learn from Liam – and Liam, I think, will flourish now in a senior role in the team with a young rookie alongside him.
”I think that’ll bring the best out in Liam.“
Writing for The-Race.com, Gary Anderson said Lawson could deliver for Racing Bulls in 2026.
“Keeping Lawson for consistency is a wise move. He didn’t get a real crack at it when he was promoted to Red Bull so I think there is still some speed and professionalism in there to tap into.”
Also on The-Race.com, Jack Cozens suggested the Kiwi had been saved by his dramatic demotion after just two races in the Red Bull top team.
“The consequence of Lawson being so inept in the Red Bull seat might be what’s saved him for 2026,” Cozens wrote.
On ZB, Windsor said “Liam’s driving has become a little bit more polished over the last six months”.
“Yuki Tsunoda has basically sunk without trace, so for me it’s not a surprise.”
Windsor said Lawson had a tough time being compared to Hadjar for much of this season.
”I think Isaac is just a class driver who gets into corners a little bit earlier; he’s got the finesse and touch that enables him to do that.
“It’s not just a question of choosing a different line, he actually has a suppleness and a touch about his driving that is reminiscent of some qualities of Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc.”
He said Lawson was a “sort of Carlos Sainz-type driver”.
“He gets in a bit later to the corner; he likes to get the rear loaded up. He’s got great car control, great balance.“
Windsor said other teams would be unlikely to pick Lawson up should he fail to hold his Racing Bulls contract beyond 2026.
“To be honest, his only future is at Red Bull. I can’t imagine he’s going to get a drive somewhere else if he loses the Red Bull drive at the end of ’26.
“But I’m sure he’s not thinking about anything more than the next couple of months at the moment.”
The BBC’s Andrew Benson said Lawson had “struggled badly” in the first two races before being demoted from the Red Bull senior team.
“But he has settled back into F1 at Racing Bulls and some strong performances – including a fifth place in Azerbaijan and sixth in Austria – have convinced Red Bull he deserves more time.”