An F1 team principal 'put his life on the line' to ensure the future of one of his team's drivers.

As the 2026 Formula 1 season draws to a close, the grid for the 2027 season is well and truly taking shape. Following the announcement earlier this week that Racing Bulls have re-signed Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson for next year, there is now only one seat vacant on the grid. This is expected to go to Ollie Bearman, who is set to sign on for a third year at Haas.

Racing Bulls' announcement that they would be continuing with Lawson and Lindblad put an end to persistent speculation that the team was set to replace Lawson for 2027. The New Zealander, 24, had looked increasingly likely to exit Racing Bulls and be replaced by Nikola Tsolov.

Racing Bulls are largely on the grid to provide an opportunity for junior Red Bull drivers who have the potential to be promoted to the senior team. Lawson had an opportunity in 2025 at Red Bull, but was demoted back to the junior team after just two races, and has since worked to rebuild his F1 career.

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This summer he was given three races at Red Bull after senior driver Isack Hadjar suffered a broken wrist, and looked far more competitive. He has continued to impress since dropping back to the junior team following Hadjar's return and looks to have saved his career in the sport.

F1 journalist Jacky Martens has said that Racing Bulls decision to go with Bulgarian F2 title contender Nikola Tsolov was considered 'done' before a late U-turn saw them decide to retain Lawson instead. Martens revealed that the decision to keep Lawson was largely down to Racing Bulls team principal, Alan Permane.

Permane, who recently signed a five-year contract extension to remain at the helm, was said to have 'put his life on the line' internally in order to protect Lawson.

Prior to the Red Bull boss' stand, it had looked like Red Bull were determined to elevate Tsolov, but Permane refused to be denied.

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Speaking on the Paddock Access podcast, Martens said: "This isn't a decision made overnight. If you asked me this a few months ago, the seat was Tsolov's seat at some point.

"It was a done deal that Lawson's contract wouldn't be extended and that Tsolov would be in the car for next year onwards. But that completely changed, obviously. That is all on Liam Lawson. He did that all himself. He did an amazing job because he kept performing week in, week out, even while he knew he was under a huge amount of pressure. He must have turned some heads there at Red Bull."

"The seat was basically Tsolov’s. Maybe they were waiting for a mistake from Liam to use that in favour of themselves to say, ‘You made too many mistakes, now it’s Tsolov’s seat.’

"That didn’t happen, he kept performing well. He had Alan Permane on his side. He really put his life on the line for Liam Lawson to keep him in the seat."

It is understood that a key factor that swung the decision in Lawson's favour is that he gives the team the best opportunity to maximise their points scoring throughout the season. Racing Bulls are on course to finish a record-high fifth in the Constructors' Championship this season and Lawson's consistent points scoring is a pivotal factor in the team's success.