Hinchcliffe backs Lawson to keep Racing Bulls seat after 2026 midfield charge
Hinchcliffe makes the case for Lawson
Formula1.com contributor Hinch has laid out a detailed argument for Liam Lawson to retain his seat at Racing Bulls, framing the New Zealander's 2026 season as that of a de facto leader in the midfield fight.
"Picture this: you are running for a midfield Formula 1 team. You have been the de facto leader since the start of the campaign," Hinch writes, setting out Lawson's credentials in characteristically vivid fashion.
According to the analysis, Lawson currently sits ninth in the 2026 Drivers' Championship standings — best of the rest behind the drivers racing for the four leading teams — and enjoys a healthy buffer to his next closest challenger. His efforts have helped propel Racing Bulls to a relatively comfortable fifth place in the 2026 constructors' table.
The piece also underlines Lawson's standing within the wider Red Bull set-up. When the senior squad needed a substitute driver, Hinch notes, they did not turn to their own reserve but instead "plucked you out of your team and trusted you with the seat in the main squad." Lawson is further described as being just one point shy of doubling his highly touted team mate's points tally for the year.
Uncertainty lingers over 2027
Despite the strength of the argument, Lawson's own recent comments reflect lingering doubt. On October 12, 2026, after collecting 10 points across the Sprint and Grand Prix at Singapore's Marina Bay circuit — qualifying eighth and avoiding the spinning McLarens on the final lap of Saturday's race — Lawson said he could not tell whether the performance would be enough to secure his Racing Bulls place for 2027. The team is expected to decide its driver line-up in the coming weeks.
Lawson had returned to Racing Bulls ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on September 24, 2026, following a three-race stint with the senior Red Bull squad, posting a solid first day back while rookie team mate Arvid Lindblad ended FP2 early after hitting the barriers in the castle section.
Whether the team's hierarchy ultimately agrees with Hinch's verdict that Lawson has done enough to stay will become clear in the weeks ahead.