Liam Lawson was one of the final drivers to learn his fate in the 2025 Formula 1 driver market. In a move very few would have expected at the start of the year, he’s secured a Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Lawson earns a promotion thanks to his own strong performances, the woes of Sergio Perez and enduring doubts about both Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo. Tsunoda remains at Racing Bulls, while Ricciardo has lost his spot on the grid altogether.
If Lawson is the biggest winner of the 2025 market, then there are also a number of losers. Kevin Magnussen’s F1 career may be over – for good this time – after he lost his Haas drive, while Logan Sargeant is unlikely to ever feature in transfer conversations again.
Axed Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu remains optimistic of a return, but his prospects are uncertain. His former teammate Valtteri Bottas also lost his seat, but he’s rejoined Mercedes as a reserve driver, which keeps him in play.
Then there’s the young talent. Franco Colapinto made a scintillating start at Williams but perhaps cost himself a spot for next year with three heavy crashes in Brazil and Las Vegas.
Colapinto is poised to be James Vowles’ reserve, while F2 high-flyers like Paul Aron and Zane Maloney were overlooked. And yet again, F1 teams passed up the chance to sign Felipe Drugovich.
Liam Lawson says Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich deserves Formula 1 seat
F1 teams have in the past been reluctant to snap up talent from F2. But this year was an exception.
Four drivers will graduate directly from the series – champion Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), runner-up Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), sixth-place Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and 12th-place Oliver Bearman (Haas). In this context, Drugovich will feel particularly hard done by.
The Brazilian won the championship in 2022, blitzing the field with 265 points (compared to 194 for nearest challenger Theo Pourchaire). While he appeared in the European Le Mans series this year, Peter Windsor says it’s ‘heartbreaking’ to see Drugovich on the F1 sidelines.
Lawson is hugely impressed by what he’s seen from the 24-year-old in his F1 outings for Aston Martin. He was second-fastest in FP1 at the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP, and a few hundredths quicker than two-time world champion Fernando Alonso in the corresponding session this year.
“It’s crazy,” he said on the Pitstop podcast. “If anybody deserves a seat right now it’s Drugovich, man. His FP1 last year in Abu Dhabi was quicker than Stroll. He was third-quickest [sic] in FP1 in Abu Dhabi. I think he was quicker than Fernando this year as well in FP1. He deserves a seat.”
The moment when F1 fans chanted Felipe Drugovich’s name at Lance Stroll
Drugovich was impressive again in the Abu Dhabi test, completing 146 laps. He once again showed he was worthy of a drive.
But he has virtually no advancement prospects at Aston Martin. Lance Stroll is the owner’s son, while Alonso is a legend of the sport.
Brazilian F1 fans chanted Drugovich’s name at Stroll when he suffered an ignominious retirement at the Sao Paulo GP. He beached his car in the gravel trying to get back onto the track after a formation-lap spin.
The good news is that a new team will join the grid in 2026. Drugovich has made a ‘good impression’ on Cadillac already, so he may finally be in line for an F1 chance.
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