Liam Lawson has an uncertain future for Racing Bulls as Red Bull are still weighing up giving Nikola Tsolov his F1 debut in 2027, so his camp has approached one rival team.

Speculation has lingered over Lawson in recent months, after reports emerged that Red Bull were beginning to view Tsolov as a worthy candidate for a seat at Racing Bulls for 2027. The grey cloud looming over Lawson has also not eased despite his superb form so far this term.

Lawson is the best-of-the-rest behind the eight drivers at the established top four teams. He has also scored 61 of Racing Bulls’ 100 points after 17/23 rounds, despite stepping up to Red Bull for three rounds and scoring another 14 points as Isack Hadjar recovered from an injury.

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Liam Lawson’s camp opens exploratory talks with Cadillac about replacing Valtteri Bottas

Racing Bulls see the benefits from retaining Lawson for the 2027 season, should Red Bull let the Kiwi stay instead of promoting Tsolov from Formula 2. The Faenza squad think Lawson’s experience alongside Arvid Lindblad, in what will be the Briton’s second season, could allow them to better utilise their budget to develop their car in the second year of the 2026 rules.

But as 2026 F2 title-contender Tsolov remains a serious threat for Lawson’s future at Racing Bulls, the 25-year-old’s camp is now in exploratory talks with Cadillac to explore his chances of replacing Valtteri Bottas – in case the American team decides not to honour his contract.

That is according to a report by RacingNews365, which claims Lawson’s management team is ‘in touch’ with Cadillac as they may have the only opening for the New Zealander to stay on the F1 grid in 2027. Bottas has a contract for 2027, as does teammate Sergio Perez, but Cadillac want to see the Finn move closer to the Mexican’s form to merit staying next year.

At present, Cadillac intend to wait until the last moment to decide their 2027 driver line-up, and their American owners are ‘still considering’ Colton Herta as an option as they want to ensure the Californian completes enough F1 FP1 sessions this year to get his superlicence.

If this is Esteban Ocon's last season, how will his F1 career be remembered?

Lawson is not the only driver to reach out to Cadillac about possibly replacing Bottas, either. Esteban Ocon is also keen on a move to Cadillac after losing his seat at Haas to Ferrari talent Rafael Camara for 2027, and Red Bull reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda is also eager to hold talks.

At present, Herta is set to fall one qualifying point short of the criteria required to secure an FIA superlicence to race in F1, which he can get with another F1 FP1 session in 2026. Herta needs 40 qualifying points, and he is set to lose 30 of his existing points at the end of 2026 as they were achieved through his 2024 IndyCar Series campaign when he finished second.

Should Herta complete another 100km during an F1 FP1 session this year, he may emerge as Bottas’ biggest threat for a seat with Cadillac for 2027. But should the American not fulfil the criteria to earn a superlicence, Lawson could stand to benefit as it is said that Perez does not want to be Ocon’s teammate again following their fractious past relationship at Force India.