Lawson ninth in Austin as 2027 Racing Bulls seat remains open

Liam Lawson finished ninth at the United States Grand Prix, matching his starting position, as questions remained over whether he will keep a Racing Bulls seat for the 2027 Formula 1 season. The New Zealander added points for Racing Bulls after a weekend he described as strong. Team principal Alan Permane praised his performance over team radio as a “perfect” weekend. Lawson said he had felt comfortable throughout and was enjoying driving the car, which he described as being “in a great place.” Red Bull has not announced its driver line-up for the two Racing Bulls seats in 2027. Formula 1 journalist Jacky Martens assessed the chance of Lawson staying or being replaced by junior driver Nikola Tsolov as “very much 50-50.” That assessment was Martens’ account, not a confirmed position from Red Bull. Lawson said after the race that he did not know what would happen with his future and was concentrating on racing. He has also said that winning is the goal for drivers and that he could consider a team offering a better chance to achieve it. He added that Red Bull’s decisions have not always been based solely on that consideration. Martens said Tsolov was due to take part in first...