Liam Lawson: “I Don’t Know What More They Want From Me”

Liam Lawson has launched a message of frustration in the preview of the Brazilian Grand Prix. The New Zealand Racing Bulls driver, whose future at the team remains unresolved has admitted that he does not understand what more he needs to do to secure his continuity in Formula 1. His results speak for themselves: 83 points, ninth in the drivers' championship and a 42-point advantage over his closest pursuer, Pierre Gasly and yet, his seat remains up in the air.

"I don't know, every weekend I have obviously tried to give the best of myself but we have had a really strong year and we are in a good position. We are fighting with Alpine, we are moving away from Alpine every weekend and with some races ahead we are trying to stay above them. I don't know what more they want me to do but yes, it is one of those things at the moment" Lawson declared at Thursday's press conference in São Paulo.

The uncertainty is not new, Alan Permane Racing Bulls team boss, explained weeks ago that there are three candidates for two seats in 2027: Lawson, his current teammate Arvid Lindblad and the Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, the latter completed his first FP1 session in Mexico and finished twelfth, just 126 thousandths behind Lindblad. A performance that far from clarifying the panorama, adds more pressure on Lawson.

The New Zealander has been one of the most consistent drivers in the midfield this season. He added three consecutive seventh places in Bahrain, Singapore and Mexico and his ability to come back from the pit lane at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where he finished seventh after a penalty, demonstrated his talent and his determination: "This year, I really haven't thought that much about the uncertainty but also the races have been much stronger this year. I think Mexico was more a specific situation that obviously happened on Friday and made the whole weekend a little more difficult but in terms of performance, I was in the same place I have been all year. I feel the speed has been good and in Mexico it was very good. Obviously, we qualified very well doing an excellent job. I just had the penalty and had to start from the pit lane but apart from that, we were fast all weekend" he explained.

Lawson also acknowledged that the situation is complicated because most of the teams have already announced their lineups for 2027, if Racing Bulls decides to do without him, his options to stay in Formula 1 are reduced to a reserve role: "It's difficult, right? It's the end of the season, when something like this is pushed to the end you run out of options really so it is not the easiest situation. Obviously I want to be racing in F1 and I am trying to show the best of myself every weekend. I feel we have had a good year" he added.

Despite the uncertainty, Lawson showed himself confident in his performance and in Racing Bulls', the team occupies fifth position in the constructors' championship, a historic result for the team: "I don't see why we shouldn't be fast here, I feel it is a track I enjoy driving and the car should work well. I think the biggest question is the weather during the weekend" he concluded.

Lawson's future remains an unknown but his talent and his results deserve, without a doubt, an opportunity.