Liam Lawson has revealed he has received "no assurance" regarding his position at Racing Bulls beyond the current season, casting doubt over his Formula 1 future despite a strong campaign that has established him as the leading midfield competitor.
According to Sky Sports, the 24-year-old's seat is under threat from Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, the Bulgarian Formula 2 title contender who impressed during his first F1 practice outing in Mexico City.
Lawson currently occupies ninth place in the drivers' standings with 83 points after the Mexico City Grand Prix, ahead of all drivers outside the top four teams. His performance has been consistently strong throughout the season, with points scored in all but four Grands Prix, demonstrating his reliability and racecraft.
The New Zealand driver has accumulated more than double the points of his team-mate and rookie Arvid Lindblad, and reinforced his credentials by securing seventh place in Mexico despite starting from the pit lane. Yet these achievements have not translated into contractual security for next season.
"I'm trying my best. Every weekend I'm trying to maximise," Lawson told Sky Sports F1. "In Mexico I gave it everything. There's definitely no assurance at the moment [for next year]. It's a tough sport. Right now, I don't know what else to say, really."
Racing Bulls remains the sole Formula 1 team to have not officially confirmed either of its driver pairings for 2027. The uncertainty surrounding Lawson's future stems from the emergence of Tsolov, who has impressed the Red Bull hierarchy with his rapid development in the junior categories.
The 19-year-old Bulgarian is competing for the Formula 2 championship in his rookie campaign after finishing as runner-up in Formula 3 last year. During his first F1 practice session in Mexico, Tsolov demonstrated his potential by finishing just one tenth of a second behind Lindblad, a performance that caught the attention of Racing Bulls leadership.
"Honestly, [Tsolov's] performance on Friday was superb. It was his first time in the car, and he integrated into the team absolutely perfectly," Racing Bulls chief executive Peter Bayer told Austrian outlet ORF. "Regarding the driver decision, he put in a fantastic performance. That decision rests with [team principal] Alan [Permane], and he will make it, or rather, announce it when he feels the time is right."
When asked whether Lawson has fulfilled his obligation to prove his worth to the team, Bayer acknowledged the broader consensus within the paddock but emphasised Racing Bulls' philosophy of nurturing emerging talent.
"That's the general consensus in the paddock. At the same time, our role, as the leading developer of talent in Formula 1, is to continuously bring new drivers through. We've brought 22 drivers into Formula 1, including the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and others. That's why I say that, at the end of the day, the decision lies with Alan. And he will make the right choice for the team. We chatted about that briefly on Saturday."
Uncertainty across the 2027 grid
Lawson's predicament reflects wider instability in the driver market as teams finalise their lineups for the new season. Racing Bulls is not alone in leaving decisions unresolved with only weeks remaining before the campaign concludes.
Valtteri Bottas' position at Cadillac remains precarious despite signing a multi-year contract that commenced at the start of this year. The American team is actively pursuing a path to integrate Formula 2 driver Colton Herta into their full-time roster, with the American currently one point away from securing the super licence required for permanent F1 competition.
Cadillac has deployed Herta across five practice sessions this season in an effort to accumulate the necessary super licence points. The team intends to run Herta again in opening practice at the São Paulo Grand Prix this Friday, where completing 100 kilometres would award him the final point needed to qualify.
"It is important (for Cadillac to have an American driver). It's an American team, it races under an American flag," said Cadillac team principal Marcin Budkowski. "I think you've seen in Austin that we're building a strong American identity as well. It's great to have an American driver, it increases the hype. But it's also a question of timing. The right driver, when the team is ready for it, and so we're assessing this."
At Haas, Oliver Bearman's contract extension remains unsigned despite public expressions of confidence from both the driver and team principal Ayao Komatsu. The British driver's current deal expires at the end of 2026, and while the team announced last month that Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Camara would replace Esteban Ocon, Bearman's position was left unconfirmed.
"There are a few things in the background that we're working on, but it's been very clear that continuing with Haas will be my target, and we're just finalising a few things on that front," Bearman said.
When pressed on the delay in announcing his new contract, Bearman stressed that the hold-up does not stem from his side of negotiations.
"It's not really in my hands, I can tell you that. If it was up to me, it would have already been announced a long time ago. But there are a few bigger-picture things that we're working on."
Komatsu vehemently rejected claims circulating in the paddock that salary demands from Bearman are obstructing the contract extension, dismissing reports of a €5 million annual salary dispute as fabrication.
"I have no idea where that comes from. I've experienced this sometimes this season as well. People say there's no smoke without fire but really some people will invent a story. What happened in Miami? Apparently, I had an argument with (Bearman's team-mate) Esteban Ocon. There's just absolutely zero truth in it and even those people claiming that they had some insider information etc, absolute total nonsense. This one again I don't know who smoked up this six-million euros number. The first time I saw it on Instagram, or Stu [Morrison, Haas press officer] forwarded it to me, and I was just like, 'oh another great… somebody has come up and stirred up whatever'. I have no comments to make because it's just not even close to the truth. Why do we engage in such an absolute nonsense? What's the point of it?"
What happens next
Formula 1 moves to Brazil for the final race of the triple-header, with the São Paulo Grand Prix scheduled for November 6–8, 2026. The weekend will provide another opportunity for Lawson to strengthen his case for retention, while Tsolov's continued involvement in practice sessions may offer further insight into Racing Bulls' thinking regarding their 2027 driver pairing.
