Racing Bulls retain Lindblad and Lawson for 2027 Formula 1 season

Racing Bulls will retain Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson for the 2027 Formula 1 season, BBC Sport reported on Thursday. Red Bull's second team has opted to give its existing partnership another year after considering whether to replace Lawson with Bulgarian Formula 2 contender Nikola Tsolov. The decision keeps the two drivers together for a second season.

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Team principal Alan Permane backed the combination of Lawson's experience and Lindblad's ambition. In comments reported by the BBC, he said both drivers had demonstrated their capabilities during the season and had developed individually as well as together. Racing Bulls currently sit fifth in the constructors' championship with 114 points, putting them 45 points clear of Alpine.

For Lawson, the announcement follows a recovery from his brief first spell with the senior Red Bull team. The 24-year-old New Zealander started the 2025 season alongside Max Verstappen but lost that seat after struggling in the opening two races. He subsequently returned to Racing Bulls and has been rebuilding his position within the Red Bull programme.

BBC Sport's Andrew Benson reported that Lawson performed more convincingly when called back to the senior team for this year's Dutch, Italian and Spanish Grands Prix. He deputised for Isack Hadjar while the regular driver recovered from a broken wrist. Retaining Lawson also gives Red Bull an experienced reference point as it continues to evaluate Lindblad's development.

Lindblad, the 19-year-old British driver, made his Formula 1 debut this season. Although he has produced strong performances during his rookie campaign, the BBC reported that Lawson has generally held the advantage. Lawson leads their qualifying comparison 13-9 and has collected more than twice Lindblad's points. Lindblad said he wanted to use the experience gained in his first season to build further next year.

Lawson praised the team's work on the car and welcomed the opportunity to continue with Lindblad as Racing Bulls pursue fifth place. Tsolov's next role remains unresolved in the announcement: the release confirming the retained pairing did not mention him. The BBC reported that Red Bull is expected to keep him in a reserve capacity involving simulator duties and testing older cars, but that arrangement was not confirmed.