Liam Lawson makes Red Bull admission with F1 future uncertain

Liam Lawson is battling to stay on the F1 grid for the 2026 season.

The 23-year-old Kiwi is out of contract on the finish of a rollercoaster 2025 that started with a short-lived stint at Purple Bull and is concluding with a revival at sister crew Racing Bulls.

Lawson has not but secured a deal for subsequent yr however his performances for Racing Bulls following his savage Purple Bull demotion after two disastrous races are strengthening his case to retain his place.

Forged apart by Purple Bull having struggled alongside Max Verstappen, Lawson has proven resilience and quietly rebuilt his season at sister squad Racing Bulls.

Lawson scored his finest results of the season on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with an impressive drive to fifth, having held off a practice of vehicles together with Purple Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda. That got here after a wonderful qualifying lap noticed him safe a shock P3 on the grid.

With present teammate Isack Hadjar tipped to be promoted to Purple Bull for 2026, and Arvid Lindblad rumoured to be heading for F1 with Racing Bulls, it seems that Lawson is in a direct shootout with Tsunoda for the opposite seat.

Lawson has indicated that his dream is now not to safe a return to Purple Bull. In any case, the earlier drivers spat out by Purple Bull have by no means returned to the senior crew.

“I spent a very long time, particularly becoming a member of [Red Bull] as a junior at 17, simply taking a look at how you can get to Purple Bull Racing – that was the place I noticed my future,” he mentioned in Thursday’s press convention in Azerbaijan.

“Possibly… Not that I forgot why I do it, however that was a lot of the objective. It’s simpler now to sit down again and realise the objective has all the time been profitable and attending to the highest, and it doesn’t must be particular to the place that’s.”

Lawson dealing with profession crossroads

Exterior of Purple Bull’s four-backed vehicles, the one out there drive left for 2026 comes at Alpine.

However with Alpine set to determine between Franco Colapinto or reserve driver Paul Aron for subsequent season, Lawson’s finest hope of remaining on the F1 grid seems to be with Racing Bulls.

Lawson acknowledged his short-term choices are restricted as he seems to safe his F1 future.

“Hopefully within the subsequent few races. It’s clearly onerous to know,” Lawson mentioned of his future.

“As drivers, the principle factor for us is to be in Method 1, so we’re targeted on securing a seat. Actually, that’s my objective in the mean time.

“When it comes to different groups, I feel just about everyone seems to be both locked in or has a fairly good thought of what they’re doing subsequent yr anyway. Proper now, it’s largely talks with Purple Bull and making an attempt to safe a seat the place I’m in the mean time.

“Past that, I feel it’s at a degree the place most of them [other seats] are just about gone, I might say.”