Guenther Steiner Argues Racing Bulls Would Mistake Dropping Lawson
Liam Lawson faces an unconfirmed 2026 Formula 1 grid position heading into the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, even as former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner and various paddock analysts argue that Racing Bulls would make a surprising mistake by replacing him. nzherald.co.nz reported that Steiner voiced his support during an appearance on the Mike Hosking Breakfast on Newstalk ZB, questioning why Red Bull would invest heavily in developing a driver only to drop him after a strong performance.
Lawson Points Boost Racing Bulls Constructors Ranking
Lawson holds 75 points and sits ninth in the drivers’ championship, nearly doubling his 38-point total from the 2025 season. Speedcafe.com reported that 61 of those current points came while driving for Racing Bulls, accounting for 61 percent of the team’s 100-point tally. Those numbers place the Faenza-based team firmly in fifth place in the constructors’ championship, marking the operation’s third-highest season tally under any of its names. Despite the performance, Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane declined to commit to an announcement date ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, noting that the team is in no rush to finalize its driver pairing for the upcoming season.
Diverging Views on Driver Development and Team Identity
Steiner pointed out that moving on from Lawson too quickly mirrors Red Bull’s approach during the 2025 campaign, when Lawson was placed alongside Max Verstappen for two difficult Grands Prix before being swapped to Racing Bulls. Steiner argued that Lawson was not given a fair chance in the top seat and earned his success through hard work. Conversely, speedcafe.com noted that Paddock speculation links Lawson to a continued seat alongside rookie Arvid Lindblad, while also factoring in the threat posed by Formula 2 title contender Nikola Tsolov. Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz suggested on Ted’s Notebook that Tsolov could spend 2027 gaining experience as a reserve driver rather than stepping straight onto the grid.
Sky Sports F1 presenter Naomi Schiff also backed Lawson following the Singapore Grand Prix, publicly questioning whether Racing Bulls should reconsider any plans to replace him after he converted an eighth-place grid spot into seventh at the finish. Jenson Button added that keeping an established partnership between Lawson and Lindblad intact would help the team develop its car effectively rather than starting over with a new driver. Lawson himself maintained that the decision remains out of his hands, stating that he is simply focused on scoring points each weekend while Permane weighs outright speed against the longer-term development goals of the Red Bull junior system.