Nico Rosberg cast doubt over whether Liam Lawson can be a Max Verstappen or Sebastian Vettel calibre of talent for Red Bull.

That, according to Rosberg, is the bar which Red Bull measures against, with any driver below that deemed “not good enough” for the task. Rosberg’s claim comes at a time where Lawson is waiting to discover whether he will get another Red Bull Racing drive in Baku, and whether he will feature on the F1 2027 grid.

Is Liam Lawson truly Red Bull level?

Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, has his doubts.

Lawson has spent the latest three rounds of F1 2026 back at the wheel for Red Bull. The New Zealander was dropped from the senior team back to Racing Bulls after just two rounds in 2025, having struggled to impress alongside Verstappen.

A wrist injury for Isack Hadjar opened the door for Lawson’s Red Bull Racing comeback, a rare recall opportunity for drivers demoted from the senior team once before.

This time around, Lawson has made a far more positive impression. He has scored points in two of his three races at the wheel of the RB22, securing P7 at Zandvoort and P6 in Madrid.

His Monza round in between was complicated by an engine penalty.

Not much is certain for the Kiwi right now. He is expecting a late decision on whether he will deputise for Hadjar again at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, or return to Racing Bulls and resume his partnership alongside impressive rookie Arvid Lindblad.

Racing Bulls is also taking its time on an F1 2027 driver line-up decision with Lawson, Lindblad and Formula 2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov – a Red Bull Junior Team member – all in its thoughts for next season.

Rosberg has questioned whether Lawson is a long-term option of the standard which Red Bull demands.

“The thing for Red Bull is they’re looking for the next Max Verstappen and the next Sebastian Vettel,” Rosberg told Sky F1.

“Everything else is just not good enough.

“At the moment, I’m not sure that Liam Lawson would be considered at that level with what he’s been producing so far.

“With Lindblad and also Hajar, it’s still possible, in the discussions for them.”

More on Liam Lawson from PlanetF1.com

Lawson earns major Red Bull praise as Racing Bulls decision looms

Liam Lawson and Nikola Tsolov future update from Racing Bulls

Lawson, when speaking with PlanetF1.com and others following the Spanish Grand Prix, offered an upbeat reflection on his second Red Bull Racing stint, as he waits to find out whether it ended in Madrid.

“It’s been overall quite positive,” he said. “I managed to score in two of the three.

“I think Monza was tough, just with the whole layout of the weekend with the engine penalty, and then having damage in the race really ruined it for us.

“But I think overall we’ve had good speed. I think this weekend was the first time where I felt that we could really fight in quali and fight at the front.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get it together in Q3, but we had good speed.

“So it’s got better each weekend.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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