As the Formula 1 season heats up, so does the speculation around Liam Lawson’s future. Red Bull’s reserve driver is at a crossroads, with the team’s principal, Christian Horner, and senior advisor, Helmut Marko, offering updates that have left fans and pundits alike guessing about Lawson’s 2025 plans.
A Waiting Game for Lawson’s Future
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have made it clear that a decision on Lawson's Formula 1 future won't be made until September. With the options for next season narrowing down, the most likely scenario seems to be Lawson securing a seat with VCARB (RB). However, there’s still a slight chance he could find himself in a Red Bull Racing seat, though it seems less probable at this point.
Williams recently made headlines by parting ways with Logan Sargeant. The decision came in the wake of Sargeant’s costly crash at Zandvoort, which left his car too damaged to qualify. His consistent mistakes and lack of points made it clear that his time with the team was running out. This created an immediate vacancy, and Williams began exploring their options for the remaining nine races of the season.
Red Bull’s Conditional Offer
Red Bull was ready to step in, with Horner expressing a willingness to loan Lawson to Williams, but only under certain conditions. As Horner noted:
“It would depend on which terms, and if we needed him back, that we could have him back quite quickly. But certainly, if they needed a driver next weekend, you know, we’d be open to that – but that’s a Williams question rather than one for us to answer.”
However, the opportunity for Lawson at Williams was quickly shut when the team signed Franco Colapinto, an F2 driver who currently sits sixth in the Drivers' Standings in the junior category.
Keeping Lawson Close
Marko explained to Kleine Zeitung that the main reason for keeping Lawson from moving to Williams was to ensure he remained available whenever Red Bull needed him. This was evident last year when Lawson stepped in as a reserve driver for VCARB after Daniel Ricciardo suffered a wrist injury at Zandvoort. Marko emphasized:
"We wanted to keep the option that he would be available when we need him."
The Road Ahead
With Williams no longer an option, the question remains: where will Lawson end up in 2025? Horner revealed to RacingNews365.com that if a seat within the Red Bull family isn’t finalized soon, Lawson might explore opportunities with other F1 teams:
“I asked him [Marko], he said he [Lawson] will have a drive in Formula 1 next year. We could rent him out somewhere else. Nothing is fixed. If we don't take up the option on Liam, then he's a free driver for 2025. We’ve got specific time periods within drivers' contracts where that becomes prevalent. I checked with Helmut earlier and he said, 'No, I didn't say which car - I just said 'a drive.'”
With only two seats left on the grid at Sauber and Mercedes, Lawson’s options appear limited. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo has yet to secure a contract extension for 2025. Marko has confirmed that Lawson will “definitely” race in F1 next year, but not with Sauber, leaving several possibilities open. Given Marko’s confidence, a seat alongside Yuki Tsunoda could very well be on the horizon for Lawson.
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