{"id":918537,"date":"2026-10-06T19:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T19:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/918537\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T19:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T19:48:12","slug":"ralf-schumacher-makes-liam-lawson-prediction-as-nikola-tsolov-eyes-racing-bulls-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/918537\/","title":{"rendered":"Ralf Schumacher makes Liam Lawson prediction as Nikola Tsolov eyes Racing Bulls seat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ralf Schumacher believes Racing Bulls<\/a> will drop Liam Lawson<\/a> for Nikola Tsolov at the end of this season, despite acknowledging that the New Zealander is doing a \u201cgood job\u201d this season.<\/p>\n

Lawson has scored the bulk of Racing Bulls\u2019 90 points, 51 to his teammates\u2019 39, and yet F1\u2019s rumour mill suggests he would be the driver in trouble should Racing Bulls opt to promote F2 driver Tsolov.<\/p>\n

Liam Lawson faces Racing Bulls exit as Nikola Tsolov emerges as a contender<\/p>\n

Lawson\u2019s Formula 1 story has been a stop-start journey.<\/p>\n

The New Zealander contested five races in 2023 when he filled in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, and then six in 2024 as he auditioned for a full-time race seat.<\/p>\n

That saw him skyrocket straight into Red Bull Racing for his first full season on the grid, only for that to implode after two race weekends.<\/p>\n

Lawson<\/a> was demoted to Racing Bulls for the remainder of that season, after which he was passed over for a second opportunity at Red Bull.<\/p>\n

He remained at Racing Bulls for the F1 2026, racing alongside rookie driver Arvid Lindblad, while his former teammate Isack Hadjar joined Red Bull.<\/p>\n

Lawson did have a brief foray with Red Bull when he replaced Hadjar after he fractured his hand, scoring in two of his three Red Bull outings.<\/p>\n

But despite his success on the track this season, with 65 points in total to put him ninth in the Drivers\u2019 Championship, F1\u2019s rumour mill has suggested that Lawson could be the driver in trouble should Red Bull opt to promote Formula 2 driver Tsolov.<\/p>\n

Schumacher does not believe Lawson has done enough to sway the decision in his favour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019ll stay,\u201d the six-time Grand Prix winner told Sky Sports Deutschland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe Arvid Lindblad will stay, and that they\u2019ll give Tsolov a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll this switching has also shown that Lawson certainly did a good job this year. But he simply couldn\u2019t deliver that extra something that was expected of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why he\u2019s no longer at Red Bull, but Hadjar is there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the junior team, and that\u2019s what it\u2019s there for.<\/p>\n

\u201cLawson has been here for a long time. He\u2019s returned to the team, and he deserves it. But if I want to focus on the next superstar, I have to make a change now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the long term, you need someone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMax Verstappen is with us until 2030. Tsolov is a promising talent, and you have to give a young driver a chance. You can rely on Lindblad, he can now take on the more experienced role in the team for next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cLindblad is generally already a bit stronger than Lawson. What distinguishes him, in my view, is that he goes onto a track and is immediately there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd this is [Lindblad\u2019s] first year, it\u2019s foreseeable that he will improve further. Remember Kimi Antonelli in his first six months, and that\u2019s when things really took off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schumacher\u2019s comments, though, are contrary to what is coming out of Red Bull and Racing Bulls.<\/p>\n

Although Tsolov had a fantastic first half of the F2 season, five rounds without a race win have seen him drop behind Rafael C\u00e2mara in the championship race.<\/p>\n

In sharp contrast, Lawson has gone from strength to strength, even with his three race weekends at Red Bull.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s done a very good job,\u201d Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we all know how difficult it is to jump to a different team, to a different car, and I think that he has done that to the best of what could have been our expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I think he did a very good job, again very different pictures compared to the first two races of 2025 when he was in the team so we are thankful and happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mekies will make a decision on who will be in the Racing Bulls cars in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Go deeper: Liam Lawson F1 contract<\/p>\n

F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n

The four drivers potentially out of contract at the end of F1 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: \u201cFirst, Nikola is doing a very, very strong season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very, very happy with the progress he\u2019s been making, both on track and from what we see he\u2019s doing with us in Milton Keynes in the simulator.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think we have time to make that decision on what\u2019s going to happen for him next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn all cases, a bit like when we discussed for Isack, we have a long-term view on Nikola.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat matters to us is that we make sure that we put him in the right environment so that all his potential is coming out.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis potential seems very high, and we will make the decision in a few months on what his programme is for next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now, we let him concentrate on a rather busy weekend here with three races in Baku.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n

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