Liam Lawson vs Yuki Tsunoda vs Arvid Lindblad: Kiwi star ready for brutal Red Bull verdict. Liam Lawson has broken his silence on the tense three-way fight for Red Bull and Racing Bulls seats.

Battle for the seat: Lawson speaks out on how things work at Red Bull

With only two races remaining in this Formula 1 season, the question of who will occupy the seats at Red Bull and Racing Bulls next year is still unanswered.

The fight for the available seats involves Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, and Yuki Tsunoda, while Isack Hadjar appears to have his seat secured, even if official confirmation is still pending.

Liam Lawson’s year has been challenging: he was demoted to Racing Bulls after just two races and struggled to find the right pace and confidence. Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, had the opposite path: promoted to Red Bull after only two races, but producing almost no results.

Yet the New Zealander managed to score more points than the Japanese driver, marking a small revenge after a tough start to the year.

Arvid Lindblad, meanwhile, has been waiting patiently. He has participated in several free practice sessions as a stand-in for the main drivers during the season, impressing everyone with his performances.

Liam Lawson speaks out

“The first year in F1 is the most important,” Liam Lawson said. “It’s the year you improve, regardless of whether you stay in the sport, and I think many drivers lose their drive after one or two F1 seasons rather than after many years.”

“Once you secure a seat for a few years, you become a respected driver. Reaching that point, especially in this team and in the Red Bull environment, has always been like that, so [not having news about a contract renewal] isn’t new,” he added.

“Of course, I would like the peace of mind that comes with certainty. But at the same time, I have always only known this kind of pressure and this environment,” he concluded.

The Red Bull environment

The Red Bull environment is notoriously intense. Drivers are always on the edge, and the team takes until the very last race—and sometimes beyond—to decide their fate. It is certainly a tough system, putting pressure on the drivers, as there is always one driver destined to be left out.

But as Liam Lawson said, this is how the environment works. The clock is ticking: Qatar and Abu Dhabi will decide who survives the cut. Who will win the battle for the seat between Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, and Yuki Tsunoda? The time for a final decision has come.