Liam Lawson started 2025 by realising his dream of becoming a Red Bull F1 driver, but he is now fighting to stay on the grid having struggled since returning to Racing Bulls.
The 23-year-old only lasted two rounds at Red Bull before the Milton Keynes squad sent him back to Faenza. Lawson quickly convinced the team that he was not the driver they required sat next to Max Verstappen, so gave Yuki Tsunoda the drive they initially overlooked him for.
Lawson’s lack of adaptation frustrated Red Bull, who felt he was already out of answers after qualifying last for the Sprint and the Grand Prix in China. Qualifying has also continued to be an issue at Racing Bulls, with rookie Isack Hadjar beating him seven times from eight rounds.
Red Bull want Racing Bulls to field Arvid Lindblad in two FP1 sessions over the second half of 2025
The only time so far that Lawson has out-qualified Hadjar for a Grand Prix since returning to Racing Bulls in March was in Saudi Arabia. He has also only scored four points with his P8 in Monaco, while Hadjar (21) has more points than Lawson and Tsunoda (10) together in 2025.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
| YEAR | RED BULL | RACING BULLS |
| 2019 | Verstappen & Gasly/Albon | Albon/Gasly & Kvyat |
| 2020 | Verstappen & Albon | Gasly & Kvyat |
| 2021 | Verstappen & Perez | Gasly & Tsunoda |
| 2022 | Verstappen & Perez | Gasly & Tsunoda |
| 2023 | Verstappen & Perez | Tsunoda & De Vries/Ricciardo/Lawson |
| 2024 | Verstappen & Perez | Tsunoda & Ricciardo/Lawson |
| 2025 | Verstappen & Lawson/Tsunoda | Tsunoda/Lawson & Hadjar |
So, it is even said that Lawson may find himself kicked off the grid in the 2025 F1 season and his position was not helped by Red Bull successfully applying for Arvid Lindblad to get an FIA superlicence early. Lindblad would have otherwise had to wait until he turns 18 on August 8.
But while Red Bull could put Lindblad in Lawson’s Racing Bulls seat during 2025, the Kiwi will love the Milton Keynes outfit’s latest ‘plan’ for their British-Swedish wonderkid. According to Motorsport.com, Red Bull are only planning for Lindblad to feature in FP1 sessions this term.
Racing Bulls intend to run Lindblad in Lawson’s car during two FP1 sessions over the second half of the 2025 F1 season to meet F1’s rules stipulating that each team must run a rookie in both of their cars at least twice a season. Hadjar has fulfilled his car’s quota as he is a rookie.
Red Bull’s Arvid Lindblad ‘plan’ suggests Liam Lawson is safe at Racing Bulls… for now
Lindblad may also help Red Bull to fulfil their rookie FP1 quota alongside Ayumu Iwasa, who stood in for Verstappen in Bahrain. But Red Bull’s priority is for Lindblad to feature in FP1 for Racing Bulls twice during the second half of the season, suggesting Lawson is safe for now.
READ MORE: All to know about Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad including his parents
Red Bull could have ramped the pressure up on Lawson by urging Racing Bulls to bench him and run Lindblad in FP1 sessions before the summer break, given the reports the Kiwi could be axed. F1 heads to Austria, Great Britain, Belgium and Hungary before the summer break.
Even Juan Pablo Montoya ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if Red Bull dropped Lawson for Lindblad in the 2025 F1 season, should the former continue to struggle. The Milton Keynes natives hold their 2025 Formula 2 rookie, who sits third in the junior series standings, in very high regard.
Red Bull see Lindblad in the same way as they did with Verstappen amid the Dutchman’s rise towards F1. Also, motorsport adviser Helmut Marko believes Lindblad can be Red Bull’s next champion, having been blown away by the Briton’s ‘outstanding’ speed in the feeder series.
