Lawson's season strengthens case for Racing Bulls stay, columnist argues

Motorsport.com columnist Oleg Karpov argues that Liam Lawson's season has strengthened the case for keeping him at Racing Bulls. Karpov's conclusion is that the team should retain him, with Lawson's ninth place in Austin forming part of a broader season-long argument.

After the United States Grand Prix, Lawson said he was not thinking much about his future for next season. During F1 TV's live post-race coverage, Jolyon Palmer asked when Lawson would be announced for next year. Lawson said he did not know and was pressing on with racing and enjoying it.

Lawson reached Q3 in Austin, but accepted the team's request not to run in the final part of qualifying to help his team-mate, who had a grid penalty. He started ninth, kept Pierre Gasly behind through Turn 1 and managed a hard-tyre stint to the finish. Karpov judged ninth the best result Lawson could have achieved because none of the leading four teams' drivers retired.

Karpov also cites Lawson's 35-point lead over Gasly in what the column calls the unofficial midfield championship. He speculates that Racing Bulls might be waiting to finalise Nikola Tsolov's 2027 plans before announcing an extension, while noting that Red Bull's driver decisions are hard to predict. Lawson had not signed a contract for the next season when the column appeared.