Lawson’s F1 future to be decided after Mexico, says Marko
New Zealand Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson will know his fate within the Red Bull racing stable by the end of the month, with a decision on the 2026 driver line-up set to be made after the Mexico Grand Prix on 26 October.
Lawson, currently racing for Racing Bulls, sits 14th in the drivers’ standings after a turbulent 2025 season that saw him demoted from the senior Red Bull team. With Max Verstappen the only driver guaranteed a seat for 2026, the Kiwi is battling to secure his place alongside a competitive pool of contenders that includes Isack Hadjar, Yuki Tsunoda, and Arvid Lindblad.
Speaking to Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed the team’s decision is imminent.
“We’ll make our decision after Mexico,” Marko said.
Hadjar is expected to step up to the senior Red Bull squad alongside Verstappen, leaving Lawson’s future uncertain as the team weighs its remaining driver options.
Marko also ruled out speculation linking McLaren junior driver Alex Dunne to the Red Bull programme, while suggesting that young British driver Arvid Lindblad is on the verge of an F1 debut.
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“Generally speaking, yes. He’s (Lindblad) just younger than Hadjar, and we’ve seen in the past that age plays a role in Formula 1,” Marko said.
“But, generally speaking, he’s another one of our hopes. We’ll see him in the car this year (in an F1 FP1 session), too.”
For Lawson, the focus remains on performance starting with this weekend’s US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The event marks a year since his first Formula 1 start, where he impressed by climbing from 19th on the grid to finish ninth on debut.
“I’m pumped for Austin as it marks a year since I started in F1,” Lawson said.
“It feels very exciting to get back to a track I enjoy, the atmosphere here is amazing. COTA is a high grip track which is well suited to F1 cars. It’s built on a unique landscape, so the surface changes every year and will make it a super interesting race.”
Lawson’s recent form, however, has been mixed with a difficult Singapore Grand Prix that saw him crash twice before finishing 15th. He’ll be hoping for a turnaround at Circuit of the Americas, a 5.5km track known for its dramatic elevation changes, sweeping corners, and long straights.
Despite a challenging run of results for Racing Bulls, the team remains optimistic. Chief technical officer Tim Goss believes the car still has the pace to fight for points.
“The VCARB 02 has proven to work well across a range of circuit types, and we take that knowledge and confidence in our abilities, which should mean that if we get it right on the day we can deliver a strong points finish,” Goss said.
The Austin weekend also features the fourth sprint race of the 2025 season; an area where Lawson is yet to score points. With limited time to make an impression in the short-format races, qualifying will once again be key.
