Van der Hulst backs Racing Bulls’ decision to keep Lawson

Pepijn van der Hulst backs Racing Bulls’ decision to keep Liam Lawson for 2027, arguing that dropping him now would have been unfair in light of his performances in both 2025 and 2026.

Racing Bulls announced on Thursday that Lawson and Arvid Lindblad would remain with the team for 2027. Van der Hulst recognises the team’s driver-development role and calls Nikola Tsolov an interesting prospect. But he argues that Racing Bulls’ identity extends beyond being a Red Bull talent pipeline, and that Tsolov is not yet a stronger option than Lawson.

Van der Hulst also points to Lawson’s earlier setbacks. Lawson impressed as an injury replacement for Daniel Ricciardo in 2023 but did not secure a full-time seat for 2024. After two races alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025, he was moved back to Racing Bulls. The columnist says Lawson then recovered strongly with the team in both 2025 and 2026.

Lawson is ninth in the 2026 championship on 89 points, including points from his Red Bull substitute appearances. He finished seventh in Brazil in difficult conditions. Van der Hulst says rookie Lindblad has impressed but is not yet at Lawson’s level, and argues Lawson’s experience can benefit both the team and his teammate.