Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes Racing Bulls will drop Liam Lawson for Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov at the end of this season, despite acknowledging Lawson is doing a good job. Lawson has scored 51 of Racing Bulls' 90 points this season, outperforming his teammates' combined 39 points, yet rumors suggest he faces the axe if Red Bull promotes the Bulgarian driver.
Schumacher argued that Lawson has been with the junior team for a long time and simply couldn't deliver the extra something expected of him after his brief stint at Red Bull Racing ended unsuccessfully. The six-time race winner noted that while Lawson deserves his current position, Red Bull must focus on developing the next superstar for the future.
The German highlighted Arvid Lindblad's stronger performance in his rookie season, comparing him favorably to Kimi Antonelli's rapid development in his first months. Schumacher believes Lindblad could take the more experienced role next year while Tsolov gets his opportunity to prove himself in Formula 1.
However, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies contradicted these comments, praising Lawson's very good job during his recent return to the team. Mekies emphasized that Lawson successfully jumped between different teams and cars, meeting all expectations despite the challenging circumstances he faced.