Helmut Marko opts for ‘difficult’ Liam Lawson decision amid Racing Bulls uncertainty
Liam Lawson has yet to have his future secured in Formula 1 beyond the end of 2026.
Former Red Bull senior advisor, Helmut Marko, revealed he would choose Nikola Tsolov over Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls for F1 2027.
Lawson has impressed with Red Bull’s sister team so far in 2026, and was chosen to replace Isack Hadjar while the French driver was injured for three rounds mid-season at Red Bull Racing.
Liam Lawson ‘difficult decision’ should favour Nikola Tsolov – Marko
While his performances having been roundly praised, Lawson does not yet have clarity on his Formula 1 future beyond the end of this season.
He joked after the recent Singapore Grand Prix that “you tell me” why he hasn’t been renewed for another year just yet, with his 2026 campaign largely viewed as his strongest in Formula 1 so far.
Marko, who previously ran Red Bull’s development programme and has been behind the arrivals of the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen in Formula 1, always sought to place the very best of what the sport could offer in Red Bull’s sister team.
Though Lawson has competed in four separate seasons in Formula 1, the New Zealander is approaching what would be the end of his second complete year in the sport.
With that in mind, had it been his decision, Marko would look to the driver next in the junior team’s queue to step up.
“I agree with a saying by [Dietrich] Mateschitz: ‘We don’t buy stars, we make stars’,” Marko told Austrian newspaper Krone.
“We’ve always looked for our own drivers who can win a Grand Prix. Apart from a few exceptions, it’s worked.
“In keeping with this philosophy, the difficult decision between Liam Lawson and Nikola Tsolov at Racing Bulls should actually go in Tsolov’s favour.”
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Tsolov is currently second in the Formula 2 standings with the series’ current leader, Rafael Camara, having been announced to race for Haas in 2027.
Tsolov completed his maiden outing for Racing Bulls in a testing of a previous car [TPC] day at Imola in late-August, completing 690km in the process.
Racing Bulls team principal, Alan Permane, has noted the team “is not in a rush” over deciding its driver line-up, and acknowledged the decision it faces.
“I think everyone knows we’ve got two fantastic drivers,” he said.
“We’ve got a fantastic driver in F2 at the moment, and they’re all there and ready to go.
“But, three doesn’t fit into two, of course, and we’re just going to take a little bit more time and make sure we get the the right pairing for next year.”
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