How Liam Lawson made himself 'unsackable' - and why Racing Bulls had to re-sign him

Liam Lawson has retained his seat at Racing Bulls and will partner Arvid Lindblad next season, bringing an end to one of Formula 1's most talked-about contract sagas.

Rumours have swirled in recent weeks that the Kiwi was set to be dropped by the team as Red Bull looks to keep its conveyor belt of talent moving, with Bulgarian junior Nikola Tsolov waiting in the wings.

However, Lawson’s brilliant performances this year have kept him in a job. We've decided to break down how he kept his F1 dream alive.

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The story behind Liam Lawson’s sensational 2026 season

Liam Lawson had had a horrific 2025 championship, one that could have potentially ended his career.

Having patiently bided his time on the sidelines as a super-subfor Racing Bulls throughout 2023 and 2024, the New Zealander suddenly found himself catapulted into the main Red Bull team for 2025, replacing Sergio Perez.

His start to life at the Milton Keynes team couldn’t have been any worse, though.

Lawson simply couldn’t get to grips with the '25 Red Bull, an extremely difficult car to drive which only Max Verstappen appeared able to tame.

He qualified near the back and then retired after crashing out in Australia, before coming home a desultory 12th in China.

Red Bull had decided they had seen enough, and switched him with Yuki Tsunoda from the junior Racing Bulls squad.

Though Tsunoda didn’t do much better at Red Bull and was dropped at the end of the season, Lawson quietly rebuilt himself in its second-string team.

He would score his first points of 2025 in Monaco, then finish in the top ten seven more times after that. Lawson rounded out the year 14th in the championship.

However, it was in 2026 that things really took off for the New Zealander.

How Liam Lawson became best of the rest in F1 2026

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A few drivers have struggled to adapt their driving styles to the unconventional 2026 F1 cars, with 50% of their power units made up of an electric motor.

However, Lawson has found the Ford-powered VCARB 03 to his liking, and has been getting results almost from the off in 2026.

Although he missed out on points at the 2026 Australian GP, the Kiwi then went on a sensational run.

Lawson scored points in seven of the next eight races, establishing himself well inside the top 10 in the championship.

He’s continued that form in the second half of the year, scoring points in eight of the next 11 weekends. He's easily the highest-ranked driver in the championship outside the big four of Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren.

He explained the key to the performance leap from this year to last, giving insight into how he got to grips so well with this year’s F1 beasts.

“I mean, I’ve always had confidence that we could do it, we could do a good job, but you never know in this kind of season as well,” he told Motorsport Week.

“You know, one team brings an upgrade… and if you look at McLaren a few years ago, they went from being one of the worst teams on the grid to the best, actually, within six months, and so, you never know in Formula 1.

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“But I always had confidence that we’d at least maximise our package that we had, and once the first few upgrades came, and they started just all sort of delivering as we expected them to – that was probably a big sort of green flag for us going, ‘OK, everything this year that we’re doing is working’.

“You know, a lot of times you bring an upgrade, it actually, technically gives you more downforce, but can upset the balance, and, yeah, I feel like that’s something that the team’s done very well this year.”

While his rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad has performed admirably on his debut season, he’s been nowhere near Lawson’s level.

Lindblad has 38 points to Lawson’s 89. On the strength of the latter points alone, Lawson would be ahead of the total points of Alpine, which is chasing his Racing Bulls team for fifth in the championship.

If you can call it much of a chase. Racing Bulls is now so far ahead, with just three Grands Prix's left in the season, that fifth in the constructors’ look almost secure. It would be a record finish for the junior Red Bull team.

Liam Lawson’s 2026 F1 contract agony.

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However, despite his superlative form, Lawson’s seat was thought to be under threat for next year.

With Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov fighting it out at the sharp end in F2, as well as impressing in his Mexico City GP Free Practice outing, many were suggesting Lawson’s time was up.

Options elsewhere on the grid looked slim. Would the Kiwi get a chance to continue his F1 career?

“I don't know,” he told Sky F1. “I mean, it's tough, isn't it? It's the end of the season. When something like this is pushed all the way to the end, you're left with not really any options. So it's not the easiest situation.

“Obviously, I want to be racing Formula 1, and I'm trying to show my best every weekend. And I feel like we've had a good year.”

There were question marks over whether he was still the best bet for the future, and Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane was circumspect.

“We're trying to apply a little bit of science, and that takes some time,” he said.

“So we are looking at everything and studying, analysing, and time is on our side. We're not in a rush to do anything, and I'm very confident the right decision will be made.”

Things weren’t helped when Lawson got into an on-track tiff during practice with Max Verstappen, with the pair clashing wheels and causing damage to each other’s cars.

"If I were him I would act a little smarter, and when you're fighting for your seat it's not very smart behaviour," Verstappen said ominously in the aftermath.

However, Lawson bounced back to yet another points finish in the race while his teammate Lindblad crashed out, a clear illustration in the difference in their maturity.

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Racing Bulls finally makes its decision - Lima Lawson is signed up for 2027

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Lawson put in another sensational drive in Brazil as he qualified third and finished seventh, performing even when under pressure due to contract speculation.

In the end, his form was undeniable: the team have signed him up for at least another year, alongside Lindblad.

Tsolov has been designated as a reserve driver for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

But why did Racing Bulls finally go for Lawson over Tsolov?

“Both have demonstrated their ability and potential throughout the season, and we’ve seen the progress they’ve made, both individually and as a pairing,” says the official line from team boss Alan Permane.

“I have no doubt that this is the best driver line-up for us, bringing a strong combination of experience and ambition.

“Together, we have a solid foundation to build on the progress made this year, continue pushing ourselves forward and take the next step towards achieving our ambitions in 2027."

But what about 2028? If Lawson had to fight this hard just to get a one-year contract extension, and there's no obvious progression at Red Bull with Isack Hadjar having leapfrogged him, then next season might be even tougher for the Kiwi.