This was the moment Lawson found out he’d earned an F1 seat for 2026

10:49, 04 Dec

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byKada Sarkozi

Liam Lawson did not know until the end of the Qatar Grand Prix that he will have a seat in Formula 1 for next year.

"It was cool because Alan [Permane] as well was the one who told me."

- Liam Lawosn

Ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the Red Bull family has confirmed its driver line-ups for the 2026 F1 campaign. Isack Hadjar will join Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, while Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will drive for Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda will become Red Bull's reserve driver.

Speaking about having a seat for next year, Lawson told GPblog: "[I found out] after the race in Qatar actually, so I didn't know before the weekend, as much as I was trying to find out during the weekend, it was after the race.

"It was cool because Alan [Permane] as well was the one who told me."

The New Zealander explained that Qatar was a bit more difficult while he was awaiting the decision, but it's something he has experienced before.

He continued: "Yeah, I mean it is a little bit more pressure obviously, but I think I was in this position last year as well at the end of the season and even still actually up until Abu Dhabi.

"I felt that I've been through it a few times before and it doesn't make it easy but it's something that we're definitely used to in this team and in this environment."

Lawson will stay with Racing Bulls in the 2026 season - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Return to Red Bull Racing was not on Lawson's mind

Lawson was demoted to Racing Bulls two Grands Prix into the 2025 season. The 23-year-old explained that he was not thinking about a return to Red Bull Racing throughout the season.

He explained: "It's not honestly something I've really thought about this year, especially with how when I came back it was a very tricky few races.

"I think for the first part of this year honestly I was focusing on finding my feet again and getting used to this car. I'd missed the first part of the pre-season with the development where the car was going.

"We actually made some changes to the car to make it a bit more comfortable for me during the season. So it's honestly not something I've really thought about," he concluded.

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