Lawson looks beyond Red Bull: 'If I can go to a team that gives me a better chance'

The New Zealander is still waiting to find out whether he will retain his seat for next season. His future remains uncertain, with Formula 2 title contender Nikola Tsolov among the candidates for a promotion to Racing Bulls, while Arvid Lindblad is expected to remain with the team for a second season.

With limited opportunities elsewhere on the grid for 2027, Lawson discussed the possibility of leaving the Red Bull programme at the end of that season, when more seats could become available for 2028, speaking to GPblog and other media.

He did not rule it out. He framed the question around the ambition every driver on the grid shares.

Then he made a pointed comment about how his employer decides who drives: "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," Lawson said.

He added that a future elsewhere "has always been sort of talked about, and obviously you always try to cover your bases. But right now, not too much." For now, he said, his attention is on the final races and on Racing Bulls being "well in the fight for P5" in the constructors' championship.

This marks a change in the way Lawson speaks about his future within the Red Bull family. Back in late 2023, after missing out on a race seat for the following season, the New Zealander made it clear that he saw Red Bull as his only route into Formula 1: "I'm a Red Bull driver. If I ever get a chance in Formula 1, it'll be through Red Bull Racing."

His career has taken several turns since then. Isack Hadjar's Red Bull contract has been extended through 2027, leaving Lawson with little prospect of returning to the senior team in the immediate future. Racing Bulls therefore appears to be his only realistic option for remaining within the Red Bull organisation.

Securing another season at Racing Bulls would give Lawson the opportunity to strengthen his position on the grid and attract interest from teams outside the Red Bull family ahead of 2028, when more seats could become available.

For now, Lawson and Lindblad are considered the most likely pairing for Racing Bulls in 2027, with Tsolov potentially taking on a reserve role before being considered for a race seat the following year.

Such an arrangement would give Lawson another opportunity to prove himself, although it would not necessarily guarantee his long-term future with the team. With Tsolov waiting for his chance and Red Bull's senior seats seemingly unavailable, the New Zealander could eventually have to look elsewhere to continue his Formula 1 career.