Liam Lawson insists he isn't losing sleep over growing speculation surrounding his Formula 1 future, even as Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov continues to strengthen his case for a promotion that some believe could eventually threaten the Kiwi’s seat at Racing Bulls.
For now, there is no indication that Lawson is set to lose his drive, and Racing Bulls have publicly dismissed reports linking Tsolov to a guaranteed Formula 1 seat.
But with the Bulgarian dominating Formula 2 and Red Bull never shy about reshuffling its driver roster, the rumour mill is already spinning ahead of 2027.
Tsolov's stock has skyrocketed after an extraordinary run of form. The Formula 2 championship leader completed a clean sweep at Silverstone, becoming the first driver since Zane Maloney in Bahrain 2024 to win both races in a weekend.
Combined with his feature race triumph in Austria, he also became the first Formula 2 driver to claim three consecutive victories since the series was rebranded from GP2.
That surge has inevitably placed the teenager firmly in the Formula 1 conversation for 2027.
Lawson refuses to get caught up in the noise
Despite the speculation, Lawson insists his attention remains fixed on extracting the most from the current season rather than worrying about what Red Bull's future plans might be.
"It's honestly not even something I've really thought about," Lawson told media. "Obviously, the summer break is normally a time when things are heavily considered, and I think we have a few more races until then.
“So at the moment, I'm just focused on continuing to do what we've been doing.
“It's been obviously working very well recently, and it'd be nice to go into that summer break with another good couple of races.
FIA F2 Championship leader, Nikola Tsolov.
“But I think with Formula 1, I've I haven't been here that long, but I've been here long enough to see how things get stirred up, and it's not really something I've been thinking about.”
Lawson's calm response reflects the reality of life within the Red Bull system, where speculation over driver changes is almost constant.
Racing Bulls dismisses speculation – but Tsolov remains one to watch
Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane was equally quick to pour cold water on reports suggesting Lawson's seat is already under threat.
"They're just rumours. Honestly, we haven't even discussed it. Not at all."
While rejecting the claims outright, Permane has acknowledged that Tsolov's remarkable Formula 2 campaign has not gone unnoticed, hardly surprising given the Red Bull junior's rapid rise through the ranks.
Even so, no official plans have been announced regarding the Bulgarian's Formula 1 future, making any suggestion of a future driver swap purely speculative at this stage.
Lawson still living the dream
As the speculation continues around him, Lawson also reflected on finally reaching Formula 1 after years of climbing motorsport's ladder, including a stint in Japan's Super Formula championship.
The 23-year-old admitted the reality of Formula 1 has differed from the childhood dream he once imagined—but not in a bad way.
“It's something that, obviously, for us, we start focusing on and looking at and dreaming about when you're a kid,” he explained.
“Like anything in life, you put something on a pedestal and you look forward towards it, and you have ideas of what it's going to be like, and very rarely is it exactly what you think it's going to be like.
"So in a lot of ways, there are a lot of things that have come with it.
“I think the sport's also changed a lot since I was a kid watching it, but at the same time, obviously, it's an incredible position to be in, and it's something that was my dream when I was very, very young, so I look back and think about what I would tell my obviously younger self and he would be pretty stoked [that I’m here]
“It's easy to get lost in all the things that we're doing every weekend. You get focused on always the next thing. You have a good result, and you're straightaway focused on the next one, so it's important to remind yourself how cool it is, but I know I'm very lucky to be here.”
For Lawson, the priority is simple: keep delivering on track and let the rumours take care of themselves.
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