Lawson and Lindblad Get Another Year at Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls have decided to keep Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad for the 2027 season.

Lawson started third at Interlagos last Sunday and finished seventh, his fourth seventh place in five Grands Prix. On its own, that may not seem like big news, but four days later Racing Bulls ended weeks of speculation: both Lawson and Lindblad have extended their contracts and will stay with the team in 2027.

As for Nikola Tsolov, there is no news, at least not yet.

The Red Bull camp mulled over this decision for months, and the comments from team principal Alan Permane only added to the confusion. Every time he was asked, Permane insisted that no decision had been made. He said the team was trying to apply “a little bit of science” to the choice of three drivers for two cars.

Lawson’s points tally, however, made the choice look fairly simple. He has 89 points, more than the whole Alpine team. That total includes the three races he drove for Red Bull at Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid while Isack Hadjar was injured, after which he returned to Faenza and carried on where he left off. Remember the start of his 2025 season? After two races for Red Bull, he was sent back. For many drivers, a career quietly ends there. Not for him.

Lindblad’s situation is much simpler. As a rookie, he has scored 38 points, and according to Formula1.com, Red Bull has felt for some time that he deserved another year. His promotion to Formula 1 was confirmed in December 2025, making him the 20th driver to reach the sport through the Red Bull junior programme. Letting him go after just one season would feel strange, and Red Bull knows it.

“I’m very happy to be continuing with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls next year,” Lawson said, adding that the team had “a brilliant season together.” Lindblad followed with “I’m very happy to be continuing with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls in 2027.” It sounds as if someone in the PR department wrote one line and used it twice. Lindblad also said he looks forward “to continuing to drive alongside Liam,” which, after the past few weeks of uncertainty, must be a relief for Lawson to hear.

“I have no doubt that this is the best driver line-up for us,” Permane added. He recently signed a new contract of his own that runs until the end of 2031, so he will live with the consequences of this decision for a long time. He also spoke of “a strong combination of experience and ambition,” and he is more or less right. Racing Bulls use the same Red Bull Ford power unit as the senior team, and this season’s FIA ADUO review rated it the best of the combustion engines. Keeping two drivers who know the car and the team makes more sense than starting again with someone new.

Why announce it with three races to go? The main reason is that Racing Bulls are fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of sixth-placed Alpine. Holding that position would be the team’s best result under any name, going back to the Minardi days. Nobody in Faenza wants either driver thinking about contracts instead of braking points in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

It’s hard not to feel sorry for Tsolov. The Bulgarian impressed Red Bull and the team in testing and in his first Friday practice outing, which in another year might have been enough to earn him a seat. He still has a Formula 2 title to fight for against Rafael Câmara, who is joining Haas. Red Bull has yet to announce its plans for him in 2027. A reserve role seems possible, but for now that is speculation and has not been confirmed.

Next stop: Las Vegas. First practice is on Thursday, November 19, with the race on Saturday evening, November 21. The fight for fifth is far from over, and Lawson knows better than most that nothing in this sport is final until the contract is signed.