A Formula 1 insider has revealed Red Bull’s latest stance on replacing Liam Lawson ahead of the 2027 season.

With the 2026 F1 campaign edging closer to its conclusion, teams are working around the clock to finalise their driver line-ups for the next season.

While many teams on the grid, including the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren, have all locked in their squads for 2027, Red Bull are yet to make a final decision.

Now, it has been confirmed that Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar will drive for Red Bull in 2027, but they are yet to decide on the line-up for sister team, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls. New Zealander Lawson, 2026 rookie Arvid Lindblad and F2 star Nikola Tsolov are said to be battling it out for the two Racing Bulls seats.

Although Red Bull have been known to be brutal when it comes to driver line-up decisions, they are believed to be mulling over whether to replace Lawson, due to his impressive performances this year. The 24-year-old is currently P9 in the world championship standings, having scored 77 points. Lawson also impressed when he deputised for the injured Hadjar at Red Bull.

Red Bull's Latest Stance on Replacing Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls

According to F1 journalist Jacky Martens, who was speaking to Paddock Access, the situation is currently ’50/50’ when it comes to whether Lawson keeps his seat or gets replaced by Tsolov.

He said: “They need to make a difficult decision in the next few weeks, Red Bull. I mean, it’s very much 50/50. I wrote an article about it this week for my newspaper and it’s difficult.

“But we’re going to have a very interesting situation next week, because Tsolov is doing FP1 in Mexico.

“Oh, I can tell you there’s cameras on Liam pointed during that free practice session.

“Intrigued to see what happens there, because Red Bull is very much 50/50 here on making the decision. Maybe their decision also depends on the free practice session.”

Key Events Timeline

• December 2024 — Red Bull promoted Lawson to partner Max Verstappen, replacing the axed Sergio Perez.
• March 2025 — Red Bull demoted Lawson to Racing Bulls after two races, promoting Yuki Tsunoda.
• July 2026 — Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane said Nikola Tsolov is 'next in line' for promotion.
• August 2026 — Lawson returned to Red Bull, deputising for the injured Isack Hadjar for three races.
• October 2026 — Lawson admits he could leave the Red Bull set-up.

What Has Liam Lawson Said About His F1 Future?

Speaking to F1 TV, via GPBlog, about his own future following the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, Lawson admitted that he has ‘no idea’ what will happen at the end of the campaign.

Lawson said: “I've no idea, man. Honestly, at the moment, it's to a point where I'm not even really thinking about it. I'm just pressing on and enjoying the races, honestly.”

Previously, Lawson himself admitted that he would consider leaving the Red Bull set-up if he felt he had a better chance of winning elsewhere.

He said: “I don't know if I have to do anything, but I think, for me personally, I mean, for all of us as drivers, our goal is to win.

“So for me, my focus is to put myself in a position where I can be winning for one, and if I can go to a team that gives me a better chance to do that, that's obviously what we're what we get to do.”

“The Red Bull specifics of it, I think they've shown many times in the past that sometimes that's not entirely why they make decisions, so it is something that I don't know what's going to happen next year, but for me, it's honestly not really what I'm thinking about now.”