Liam Lawson retains his F1 seat at Racing Bulls alongside Arvid Lindblad

FAENZA, Italy — Liam Lawson is staying in Formula 1 for 2027 with Racing Bulls alongside teammate Arvid Lindblad after speculation he would be replaced by up-and-coming Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov.

Racing Bulls gave Tsolov a run in practice for last month's Mexico City Grand Prix and has historically preferred to try out younger talent if its existing drivers didn't make a permanent step up to the main Red Bull team. Instead, Tsolov gets a reserve driver role with Red Bull.

“We’re delighted to be continuing with Liam and Arvid for 2027. 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," team principal Alan Permane said on Thursday.

"I have no doubt that this is the best driver lineup 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.”

Lawson has outperformed his rookie teammate Lindblad this year and the New Zealander is ninth in the championship, in a year which has restored his reputation in F1 after a failed two-race stint with Red Bull in early 2025. Lindblad is 11th.

Lawson returned to Red Bull briefly with solid results in a three-race stand-in role when Isack Hadjar was sidelined by a wrist injury. Lawson said on Thursday that Racing Bulls was “building something super positive” ahead of 2027.

Tsolov is in second place in F2 with two rounds remaining and is aiming to become the first Bulgarian driver in F1 history.