Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson has addressed his future at Racing Bulls, amid rumours he could lose his seat at the end of the season.
Earlier this week, a report from Spanish outlet SoyMotor said F2 driver Nikola Tsolov has been guaranteed a spot in Red Bull's junior team, which could push Lawson out.
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, Lawson was asked if he'd had any discussions with his team about the possibility of renewing his contract.
"It's very early days," he replied.
"It's been a very good season so far. We've enjoyed a lot, obviously a lot to learn with these cars, and we're doing that every single weekend, and we're in a good place, but obviously trying to keep that momentum going.
"It's very early days for those kinds of conversations, but I'm honestly very happy, and we're all pretty happy."
It's been a strong start to the 2026 season for Lawson, who has finished the last three races in the points – currently sitting 10th in the drivers' standings.
After a rocky start to life in F1, being spectacularly dropped from Red Bull after just two races last year, Lawson has found some good form. He has consistently found himself battling his way into the top 10 during races and is one of the leaders in the midfield.
"I feel I'm in a good place, I feel like I've learned a lot over the last 12 months," Lawson said about his season so far. "Things are working well at the moment."
Temperatures are expected to rise to 32C during this weekend's race weekend, as much of Europe battles an intense heatwave.
Lawson said he expected a "tough" and "very hot" race, but remained confident.
"I'm expecting it to be challenging, but obviously, we put the work in away from track as well, so I feel good about it."
The race weekend starts tonight, with the first practice session at 11.30pm. Qualifying will be at 2am Sunday, with lights out for the race at 1am on Monday.
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