Liam Lawson Secures Formula 1 Future with Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson’s long road to Formula 1 security finally has a finish line – and a new beginning.
After weeks of speculation over his future, Racing Bulls this morning confirmed the Kiwi has signed a new deal with the team for next season, locking him onto the F1 grid through 2027. For Liam Lawson, it’s reward for a breakout campaign. For his family, it’s the payoff to a 17-year gamble that once cost them their home.
A seat earned, not gifted
Lawson has been the standout of the midfield this year, leading the chase behind the sport’s established giants. Ninth in the drivers’ standings. A near-permanent fixture in the top 10 on Sundays. In a car that rarely belongs in that company on paper.
The performances have forced Racing Bulls’ hand. While the team weighed up its options – with Bulgarian prospect Nikola Tsolov seriously considered – Lawson just kept delivering. Lap after lap, weekend after weekend, he made the decision for them.
Inside the family, there was cautious optimism. Jared Lawson, his father, told 1News he had “an inkling” the deal was coming. But nothing in Liam’s journey has encouraged complacency.
“He’s done and performed so well, it’s almost like, how could he not?” Jared said. Relief, more than celebration, was the first emotion when the contract was finally signed.
A 17-year fight from the edge of the world
Lawson’s rise has never been the polished academy fairy tale. It has been a grind from the far edge of the motorsport map.
Seventeen years of travel, junior series, and financial strain. The Lawsons even sold their family home to keep the dream alive. Every step came with a cost; every season felt like it might be the last chance.
Being from New Zealand, Jared says, shaped his son’s mentality. “He’s always had to fight like that,” he explained. Nothing was guaranteed. Nothing was handed to him. Every test, every contract, every race seat had to be wrenched open.
That attitude has defined this season. Jared says Liam has been “training twice as hard” compared with last year, and the jump in performance has been obvious. Less raw promise, more complete driver. Less “what if?”, more “what’s next?”
Racing Bulls commit as Lawson looks higher
Racing Bulls have now moved early for 2027, tying down both Lawson and teammate Arvid Lindblad. They were among the last names to be confirmed for next year’s grid, but the decision sets a clear direction for the team’s future.
Lawson’s own target is sharper still. Staying on the grid is not the dream anymore; it’s the baseline.
“For him it’s all about remaining on the grid and becoming F1 world champion,” Jared said. “That’s his goal.”
The pressure around his contract never seemed to seep into his driving. While the rumour mill spun, Lawson kept extracting, in his father’s words, “pretty much the most out of that car.” In a sport where uncertainty can rattle even seasoned veterans, the 22-year-old turned noise into fuel.
His mother, Kristy, spoke at length with him once the deal was sealed. The dominant feeling from her son, Jared said, was simple: he’s happy, and “probably a little bit relieved as well that it’s done.”
A nation leans in
This is no longer just a family story. It has become a national one.
Jared talks about overhearing strangers in public discussing his son’s future, about the wave of support on social media from across New Zealand. Those small, everyday moments have hit hardest.
“It just brings it home how many people are watching and behind him, and just proud that we’ve got someone racing there,” he said.
New Zealand has a rich but sporadic F1 history. Long gaps. Occasional flashes. Now it has a driver not just making up the numbers, but dragging a midfield car into places it has no right to be.
Lawson’s contract gives him security. His form suggests he wants far more than that. The question now is not whether he belongs in Formula 1.
It’s how far this fight from the far side of the world can really go.
