Liam Lawson has finished ninth in Austria, consolidating his position inside the top 10 of this year’s drivers championship.

What happened?

He has gone a way to equalling his 2025 points tally before the summer break.

Why it matters for Liam Lawson

Lawson continues to show he’s a driver whose stocks are on the up, and is arguably the standout midfield driver at the moment.

What comes next?

Reports out of Spain suggesting Lawson will lose his seat expose the brutal reality that this sport brings.

So long as Lawson sits in a Racing Bulls seat, there is going to be questions about the Kiwi’s future.
Unless Red Bull relinquishes control of the team, Racing Bulls will always be a junior side, strictly for producing talent to move up.

Lawson is able to use Racing Bulls to gain experience in motorsport’s pinnacle, if not shop himself to other teams looking to fill seats.
Racing Bulls, meanwhile, get a solid point-scorer, and mentor to other talent coming through.

For now, there’s no reason for either side to want change, but that day is coming.
If not here, then where?

In terms of where Lawson’s next opportunity might lie, then, there is one clear standout.
If reports are to be believed, Carlos Sainz has begun to get itchy feet at Williams, and could exit as early as next year.

While the contract he signed to leave Ferrari was for 2025 and 2026, it is also understood there is an option for up to two additional seasons, although it’s unclear if that option belongs to the team or the driver.

Audi or Red Bull have both been mooted as destinations for Sainz, if he does call time at Williams.
Williams would be the perfect destination for Lawson.

Only the current top four teams have more race victories in the sport’s history than Williams’ 114, while team principal James Vowles is among the most well respected figures on the grid.

Lawson and Alex Albon have a good relationship after they were teammates in the 2021 German DTM championship, where the Kiwi finished second after being cruelly denied the title.

Most tellingly, Vowles is understood to have approached Red Bull to take Lawson on a short-term deal in 2024, when Williams parted ways with Logan Sargeant.
The Herald understands that offer was only rebuffed because Red Bull had planned to use him later in the season