What started as Liam Lawson‘s big breakthrough year has turned into a season filled with doubts and mounting pressure. As teammate Isack Hadjar steals the show, the New Zealander is at risk of losing his place within the Red Bull family. Lawson only has a contract until the end of 2025, and emphasizes that he still has no clarity about his future in Formula 1.
Liam Lawson has found himself on a real roller coaster within the Red Bull family in recent years. After his impressive stand-ins at AlphaTauri in 2023 – when he drove five Grand Prix as a replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo – and again six races in 2024 when Ricciardo had to make way again, 2025 seemed to finally be his breakthrough year. Lawson got the seat next to Max Verstappen at Red Bull. But the fairy tale was short-lived: after only two race weekends, he was demoted back to sister team Racing Bulls, because his performances were disappointing. Since then, he has had an inconsistent season, while rookie teammate Isack Hadjar continues to impress.
Lawson is all too aware of how decisive this phase is for his future. With the strong performances of teammate Hadjar, his place for 2026 is anything but certain. “Honestly, I have absolutely no idea,” Lawson says candidly about his prospects. “I expect the decision to be made late — towards the end, or even after the end of the season.” According to the New Zealander, the team is deliberately waiting with a decision because of the exciting battle in the constructors’ championship: “Both teams (Mercedes and Red Bull, ed.) are fighting for important positions. They want to seize every opportunity, so they postpone the choice as long as possible. But honestly: I really don’t know.”
