Lawson secures F1 seat for 2026
Liam Lawson will remain on the Formula 1 grid in 2026 after Red Bull confirmed its driver line-up for next year’s championship.
The New Zealander is staying with Red Bull’s second team, Racing Bulls, and he will be joined there by 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad.
Frenchman Isack Hadjar, Lawson’s teammate this year, has been promoted to Red Bull’s top team and will race alongside multiple world champion Max Verstappen.
He replaces Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda, who loses his seat on the grid after five seasons but will be a reserve driver for Red Bull and Racing Bulls in 2026.
In announcing the rejigged line-up, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB) says Lawson will continue to bring his “experience and strong race craft” to the team as it navigates the next chapter in the sport with the new 2026 regulations.
He has completed 34 starts across three years and will be embarking on his second full F1 campaign in 2026. He started 2025 with Red Bull before swapping places with Tsunoda and shifting to Racing Bulls after two races.
Lawson, pictured, adds: “I’m really looking forward to racing with VCARB in 2026. It’s an opportunity I’ll continue to be grateful for as we enter a year of change in F1.
“I’m ready to get to work with the team as we prepare for the challenging season ahead. It’s going to be an exciting year and I can’t wait to kick it off with my first pre-season with the team.”
Britain’s Lindblad will make his F1 debut little more than a year after winning the 2025 Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship in New Zealand.
He won four of the five feature races in the series last summer and finished third in the New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands Motorsport Park.
Alan Permane, Racing Bulls team principal, says: “Liam has shown impressive performance and professionalism throughout this year, he has excelled when conditions have been at their hardest and we look forward to building on this in 2026, while Arvid’s rapid progression marks him as one of the standout young talents in the sport.
“Together, they form a strong and dynamic pairing, one that embodies the ambition and youthful spirit of VCARB as we enter a transformative new era for Formula 1.”
