Red Bull must be forced to sell Racing Bulls and controversial Liam Lawson call proves it

For months, uncertainty has surrounded Liam Lawson’s future in F1. Despite consistently strong performances, Red Bull is reportedly considering replacing the New Zealander with Nikola Tsolov for the 2027 season.

I fully agree with Zak Brown’s stance and believe this alone is reason enough to force Red Bull to sell their sister team, Racing Bulls.

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Lawson Outscoring Both Drivers at Racing Bulls’ Closest Rival

This year, Lawson has hit a remarkable stride, consistently scoring points in nearly every race.

This is evidenced by the fact that the Belgian Grand Prix is the only race where Lawson failed to score points purely based on pace.

He qualified eighth in Australia but dropped to last due to a battery issue before recovering to P13. Miami saw him retire with a gearbox failure, and at Monza, he had to make an extra pit stop after contact with Nico Hülkenberg. In Azerbaijan, his teammate Arvid Lindblad spun him around.

Currently ninth in the standings with three races remaining, Lawson has amassed 89 points - 33 behind Isack Hadjar and 47 ahead of Pierre Gasly. Impressively, he has scored more points individually than the entire Alpine team, Racing Bulls’ main rival this season.

However, despite showcasing what I consider to be one of the best performances on the current F1 grid, Lawson still risks losing his seat to Tsolov.

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Zak Brown called for sale of Racing Bulls

McLaren chief Zak Brown has also expressed concerns over Red Bull's ownership of two teams, and does not believe they should be allowed to operate both as it gives them an advantage.

While on the technical side, the teams are strictly separated and closely monitored by the FIA, it can be difficult to distinguish the two teams from a sporting perspective.

Brown reached his breaking point at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix when Daniel Ricciardo made an extra pit stop specifically to claim the fastest lap and the point that went with it, thereby helping Max Verstappen in the championship.

“I think we need to get rid of A- and B-teams as soon as possible,” the McLaren CEO said earlier this year. “Having joint ownership, which we see now under one group, is common in many big sports today - I get how that came about. But it poses a huge risk to sporting fairness.”

Brown has sent a letter to the FIA urging an investigation into Red Bull’s team structure, hoping they will be forced to sell Racing Bulls.

I completely agree with Brown’s position. The arrangement of two teams under the same ownership should be banned.

Doubts About Lawson Justify Forcing Racing Bulls to Exit

But what strikes me most is how Lawson himself has been treated. Objectively, Lawson is having an incredible season. His recent performance at the São Paulo Grand Prix was a perfect example. He qualified impressively third, managed the race intelligently by choosing carefully which battles to fight against top drivers, and finished a solid seventh.

Lawson has only made one noticeable mistake - a spin during third practice at Monza. There was also a minor contact incident with Gasly in Miami that sent the Alpine flipping, but that was later found to be caused by Lawson’s earlier gearbox failure, which prevented him from braking properly.

Lawson has unquestionably earned a contract extension. Any other F1 team would have already secured his future by now. As Lawson himself put it regarding Red Bull and their sister team: “I don’t know what more they expect from me.”

Is Tsolov a bad driver? Absolutely not. But he is only 19 and has plenty of time to reach F1 later. He would benefit more from spending a year or two racing in Super Formula while doing test and practice sessions in F1.

The real problem is Racing Bulls’ constant hunt for the next superstar - someone to become the next Max Verstappen. No other team on the grid operates like this, and rightly so. The best drivers belong in F1, and Lawson is clearly one of them right now.

Whether Lawson stays at Racing Bulls in 2027 or not, the mere fact that his place is even in question is enough reason to require Red Bull to sell their sister team. It is now evident that Racing Bulls exists primarily as a talent factory to find Red Bull’s next Verstappen, rather than to be a competitive team in their own right.

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Written by

Vincent Bruins - Redacteur GPFans NL

Vincent Bruins (29) is een Nederlandse Formule 1-redacteur met vier jaar ervaring in de F1-journalistiek. Hij heeft meer dan tien jaar ervaring als redacteur en content creator in de GT-racerij. Hij duikt graag in de technische en sportieve reglementen. Zo weet Vincent alle ins en outs op het gebied van bijvoorbeeld de techniek van F1-bolides en straffen. Tevens schrijft hij bij GPFans columns.

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