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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLiam Lawson is still waiting on news on his F1 future for 2026. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLiam Lawson is still waiting on news on his F1 future for 2026. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
With Max Verstappen the only confirmed Red Bull driver for 2026, Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are potentially fighting for one vacant Racing Bulls seat.<\/p>\n
Isack Hadjar is expected to step up to Red Bull and rookie Arvid Lindblad is another contender for his Racing Bulls debut \u2014 leaving Lawson and Tsunoda waiting on a shifting deadline.<\/p>\n
Lawson, who has pieced together a strong first full season despite being demoted by the senior team after just two rounds<\/a> \u2014 scoring six points finishes including a standout fifth in Azerbaijan<\/a> \u2014 said he has focused on proving he belongs rather than dwelling on the uncertainty.<\/p>\n He believes surviving the opening campaign is the biggest hurdle for any newcomer.<\/p>\n \u201cYour first year in F1 is the most important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is really the year where you improve, whether you stay in the sport, and I think more guys probably lose their drive after one or two seasons of Formula 1 rather than multiple seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you secure a seat for a few years, you are known to be a valuable driver.\u201d<\/p>\n With Red Bull now pushing its driver call until at least Abu Dhabi, he admits he still has no sense of when the decision will be made.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I have absolutely no idea. I would expect it to be towards the end, if not the end of the season,\u201d Lawson said.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth teams are in a very important constructors\u2019 Liam Lawson says he has \u2018no idea\u2019 about 2026 drive- Speedcafe.com race. And I think to give the best opportunity possible for both teams, that\u2019s the reasoning of this [delay], I would say.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for that, I would say they\u2019re going to push it as late as they can. But obviously, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n While Lawson has strengthened his case with consistent results, Tsunoda\u2019s hopes took a hit after another punishing weekend in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n A tyre-pressure error in qualifying forced him to start from the pit lane, and an early pit stop was immediately undone by a Virtual Safety Car that allowed rivals to gain time.<\/p>\n He finished 14th on the road before being classified 12th following the McLaren disqualifications.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing is, the safety car came in right after I pitted, so it\u2019s not ideal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels like everything so far is going against me, the luck and everything.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like the word luck, but this weekend feels like it\u2019s really bad luck.\u201d<\/p>\n Tsunoda said the pace had been there before qualifying unravelled and felt he could have been closer to points without the early caution. He conceded the run of setbacks is wearing on him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a shame and frustrating that I wasn\u2019t able to use my pace until qualifying. Just throwing it away,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Despite the bleak result, Tsunoda pointed to his practice speed \u2014 often matching or beating Verstappen \u2014 and hopes Red Bull took notice.<\/p>\n \u201cMultiple times, FP1, FP2, FP3, on multiple laps, I was ahead of Max in performance runs, and I think that\u2019s something that I didn\u2019t have for a long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, one of his strengths is that he will bring the car or his level to another level in Qualifying, which is his strength, but also, I had confidence into Qualifying.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess people noticed it, but at the same time, what I want is the result, and obviously the team [does] as well.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we can\u2019t keep on like this in terms of this mistake and everything, so we tidy it up for Qatar.\u201d<\/p>\n Red Bull has previously made clear that delaying its 2026 line-ups is a deliberate move<\/a>, with senior figures echoing Lawson\u2019s view that they want to avoid distractions while fighting for key positions in the constructors\u2019 standings.<\/p>\n
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