Liam Lawson has issued a defiant rebuttal of rumours he is set to lose his seat to Formula 2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov.
Lawson is one of the standout performers of Formula 1 in 2026, with Racing Bulls emerging as the lead team behind frontrunners Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.
The British Grand Prix continued the team’s positive trajectory, Lawson securing a sixth placed finish at the chequered flag to add to to his points tally.
As a result of his success, the New Zealander sits tenth in the driver’s standings on 39 points, just three behind Pierre Gasly’s Alpine.
But despite the success, talk has surfaced that Red Bull junior Tsolov could be in line to replace Lawson at Racing Bulls, speculation Lawson has defiantly shut down.
“It’s honestly not even something I’ve really thought about,” he said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“Obviously, the summer break’s normally a time when things are heavily considered, and we have a few more races until then.
Liam Lawson focused on 2026
Lawson confirmed his focus remains on extending how he is working with Racing Bulls to continue is run of performances.
“So, at the moment, I’m just focused on continuing to do what we’ve been doing,”
“It’s been working very well recently, and it’d be nice to go into that summer break with another good couple of races, but I think with Formula 1, I haven’t been here that long, but I’ve been here long enough to see how things get stirred up, and it’s not really something I’ve been thinking about.”
The differences between Lawson’s season this year and 2025 could not be more stark.
Dramatically dropped by Red Bull after just two races, he spent the rest of the year battling to rebuild his career while Yuki Tsunoda took over his seat at Red Bull.
Tsunoda, like Lawson, failed to make an impact, scoring just 33 point across the entire year, leading to his exit from Red Bull at the end of 2025. Unlike Lawson he did not secure a drive for his season.
Lawson’s rebuttal of “stirred up” rumours over his future indicates a driver who has confidence in setting their own destiny, rather than being at risk of external factors or their own struggles.
The summer break will provide clear answers on Lawson’s next steps.
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