Liam Lawson Shines at Racing Bulls, but His 2027 F1 Seat Is Under Threat
Baca dalam 60 detik
- Liam Lawson mencatat 83 poin di musim 2026, hampir dua kali lipat pesaing terdekatnya di lini tengah, namun masa depannya di F1 masih abu-abu.
- Penampilan solid Lawson berbanding lurus dengan tekanan dari pembalap junior Red Bull, Nikola Tsolov, yang mengintai kursi Racing Bulls.
- Keputusan Red Bull soal masa depan Lawson akan menentukan arah karier Tsolov dan strategi pengembangan pembalap muda mereka.
Liam Lawson has emerged as one of the most prominent drivers in Formula 1's midfield in the 2026 season. The New Zealand driver has collected 83 points, nearly double the 42 of Pierre Gasly in second place. Yet behind that impressive form, his Racing Bulls seat for the 2027 season is hanging by a thread.
Since returning to the Faenza-based team after three rounds with Red Bull Racing in place of Isack Hadjar, Lawson has shown remarkable consistency. In the last four grands prix, he has collected 24 points—more than Hadjar and George Russell. His teammate, Arvid Lindblad, managed only one point over the same period due to a grid penalty in Malaysia and a collision with Oscar Piastri in Mexico.
Lawson's advantage over Lindblad is clear in qualifying. He leads 12-6 in the head-to-head, with a time gap of 0.072 seconds per lap (0.027 seconds if sprint sessions are excluded). More interestingly, in race conditions, Lawson is on average 0.141 seconds per lap faster than his teammate. Since returning to Racing Bulls, he has not once been eliminated in qualifying on pure performance, with an average advantage of 0.257 seconds.
Even so, Red Bull's decision for 2027 is not based solely on Lawson's strong form. The Milton Keynes-based team faces a fundamental question: does Lawson deserve a second chance in the main team? If the answer is yes, then Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov must wait—perhaps by spending a season in Super Formula, the path Gasly and Lawson himself once took before breaking into F1.
Tsolov, for his part, is catching the eye in Formula 2. The 19-year-old Bulgarian has won six races from the first 14 rounds, although his qualifying pace is not yet as strong as his main rival's and he has failed to finish on the podium in the last 11 races. He currently trails championship leader Rafael Camara by just seven points; Camara will make his F1 debut with Haas at the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. With the title still within reach, Tsolov is a serious threat to Lawson's seat.
"It's obviously a great shame, but that's what I have to deal with right now. I try to do everything I can every time I get in the race car," Lawson said in Mexico, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
If Red Bull judges that there is no realistic path for Lawson back to the main team, then keeping him at Racing Bulls makes less sense. In that scenario, Tsolov could get a chance to prove himself. Conversely, if Lawson keeps performing well, pressure on Red Bull management to make a difficult decision will only grow.
The decision will also affect the dynamics of the driver market. Lawson, who had a three-race stint with Red Bull in 2025, has now proven he can be a competitive and safe driver. But Tsolov's age and potential leave Red Bull facing a choice between experience and long-term prospects. With every point Lawson scores, questions about his future come up more often. Will he be retained, or will he become a casualty of inevitable regeneration?
