Laurent Mekies has stepped out of the only driver call Red Bull’s wider stable has left to settle for next year. The team principal told reporters after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix that he would not be the one deciding whether Liam Lawson keeps his Racing Bulls seat for 2027, framing it instead as a matter for sister-team boss Alan Permane.
“There is a difference between giving an opinion and having to make a call. I don’t have to make a call,” Mekies told reporters, according to Motorsport.com. Mekies added that “the Racing Bulls driver decisions are done through Racing Bulls.”
The comments come at a moment when the choice is narrowing to two names: Lawson, who has led the midfield in points this season, or Formula 2 contender Nikola Tsolov, a Red Bull junior who already had a practice outing with Racing Bulls in Mexico. Arvid Lindblad is expected to keep the other seat.
Praise but no promise from Red Bull
Mekies went out of his way to credit Lawson’s form rather than hedge on it. “I can only congratulate him for another very strong weekend,” he said of the New Zealander’s drive in Brazil, as reported by PlanetF1. He also said “there is no reason to rush” when pressed on the timing.
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What he would not do was endorse Lawson as the 2027 pick. Mekies repeatedly pointed back to Racing Bulls and to Permane, who has signed a new deal as team principal through 2031.
Permane leans toward keeping Lawson
Permane has tilted more openly toward continuity. “I’m sure when we announce it in the coming weeks, everyone will be happy,” the Racing Bulls principal told PlanetF1 at Interlagos, adding that the team is “trying to apply a little bit of science” to the choice.
Lawson himself has been notably cautious in public. “There’s definitely no assurance at the moment,” he told Sky Sports earlier this month, saying he is still trying to maximise every weekend without knowing where he stands for next year.
His case on paper is strong. Lawson has scored 89 points this season, more than any other midfield driver, and was promoted to seventh in Brazil after a penalty for Charles Leclerc, who had finished less than two seconds in front of him before the stewards ruled against the Ferrari driver. He also stepped up to Red Bull itself for three races after the summer break, when Isack Hadjar was ruled out by a wrist injury picked up boxing a heavy bag in the gym.
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Vegas as the deadline
The timing matters because an announcement is widely trailed for the week of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with The Race reporting that Lawson is now closing in on a 2027 extension after his Sao Paulo weekend. Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport has pointed to a confirmation before lights out in Nevada.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix runs from 19 to 21 November, with the race starting at 8pm local time on Saturday 21 November. Until an announcement lands, Mekies has praised Lawson, named Permane as the authority, and declined to commit either way.
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