The Red Bull group seems to be heading towards another driver transition phase. Liam Lawson may get a chance to regain his Red Bull seat by replacing Max Verstappen.

According to Jesus Muñoz of Spanish publication SoyMotor.com, Nikola Tsolov's promotion to Racing Bulls is a "done deal," and this acts as the linchpin to the entire move, since he will likely replace Liam Lawson after securing multiple wins in F2.

"Max's decision is key. If he decides to stay, one of the Racing Bulls drivers will be surplus to requirements. That driver, in theory, is Liam Lawson – he's the most likely candidate to be left out."

Let's look at the options. Arvid Lindblad has just made his F1 debut this season, and he sits just above Carlos Sainz at P13 on the points table. The team could give their rookie a longer rope, which brings us to Liam Lawson.

Lawson has done decently this season, managing a string of top-10 performances that puts him in the top half of the drivers' standings with 28 points. That's why there may be an alternative route for the young driver.

Muñoz explained, "On the other hand, if Verstappen leaves, more opportunities open up for the energy drink brand."

Verstappen has been the most prominent Red Bull driver in the last 10 years, winning multiple titles with the team. However, rumors surrounding his departure have been gaining weight. Just last week, Verstappen did not guarantee his presence with the team in 2027.

The report implies that Lawson could probably get a lifeline if Verstappen were to walk away. If that were to happen, the driver would probably experience a rather unpleasant Deja Vu. 

Liam Lawson: “He (Verstappen) was really supportive” 

The 24-year-old Racing Bulls driver was abruptly replaced at Red Bull by Yuki Tsunoda after the Chinese Grand Prix.

Lawson made an appearance on the High Performance Racing podcast. One of the co-hosts mentioned that Max Verstappen engaged with a few posts on social media condemning Lawson’s demotion. The driver revealed that he spoke to Verstappen a lot at that time and that he never saw him as a competitor.

“He was really supportive when I spoke to him about things during that time. And that meant a lot to me. I appreciated it because I was excited about being in a team with him and having the opportunity to be in a car that's the same as his, to see everything he does and learn from the best in the sport.”

There was also the narrative that was being spread about him, claiming that he was struggling mentally, and the team was protecting him. Lawson has strongly pushed back against that narrative. 

Read more at Motor Culture! 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar