Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Liam Lawson has emerged as the leading fan-backed candidate to return to Red Bull Racing should Max Verstappen depart the team in the future.
The New Zealander was previously promoted to the senior Red Bull squad at the start of the 2025 season but was replaced after just two races by Yuki Tsunoda, returning to the junior team following a difficult start.
Lawson’s brief stint included challenging weekends in Australia and China, where he faced technical issues and limited prior experience at both circuits. The situation was further complicated by the demanding characteristics of the RB21 car, particularly during a Sprint format weekend in Shanghai.
Since returning to the junior setup, Lawson has delivered a series of strong performances, including a career-best third-place grid position in Azerbaijan 2025, which he converted into a fifth-place race finish. These results have reinforced his credentials within the Red Bull driver pool.
Amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding Verstappen’s long-term future—driven in part by his criticism of current regulations—speculation over Red Bull’s future driver line-up has intensified.
A recent fan poll indicates that Lawson is the most popular choice to replace Verstappen, although he did not secure an outright majority of the votes.
| Option | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Liam Lawson to replace Verstappen | 31.57% |
| Sign a driver outside Red Bull programme | 28.94% |
| Arvid Lindblad to replace Verstappen | 18.42% |
| Yuki Tsunoda to replace Verstappen | 14.47% |
| Nikola Tsolov to replace Verstappen | 3.94% |
| Ayumu Iwasa to replace Verstappen | 2.63% |
The results highlight a divided opinion among fans, with Lawson narrowly leading ahead of the option to recruit a driver from outside Red Bull’s existing programme.
While Lawson’s resurgence has strengthened his case, the relatively close margins in the poll suggest that Red Bull retains multiple viable pathways should it need to restructure its driver line-up.
Ultimately, any future decision will depend on internal performance assessments, technical direction, and broader strategic considerations as Red Bull navigates an increasingly competitive Formula 1 landscape.
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