Liam Lawson caught the attention of Formula 1 fans this past weekend after he was noticeably passive while defending his position against Max Verstappen during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Despite qualifying fifth, power unit changes for George Russell and Charles Leclerc allowed Lawson to start third, and the Racing Bulls driver even managed to get up to P2 after overtaking Lando Norris in his first lap around Interlagos.

The 24-year-old came home to take a very respectable P7, with faster cars on the track ultimately prevailing under drying track conditions.

However, it was the overtake from Verstappen, one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, which raised eyebrows as the New Zealander appeared to yield his position to the Red Bull driver with little resistance.

Liam Lawson Handing Over Position to Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls are owned by the same conglomerate, and despite being different entities, this latest incident has raised further concerns over the relationship between the teams.

Racing Bulls act as a feeder team to develop drivers in the hope they can one day earn a seat with Red Bull, and Lawson himself was granted that opportunity in 2025 before returning to Racing Bulls.

While the FIA allows shared ownership and a certain degree of cooperation, it does not allow them to act as one team, which is why the integrity of Lawson's actions are being questioned.

The New Zealander dismissed these questions, however, affirming that letting Verstappen pass was purely an individual decision to best preserve his own race.

He said post-race: “I had really good grip compared to the other guys, so I had a really good turn one. There was even a point when I thought about even having a go attacking Kimi. We were really close in the first lap.

“But once everything stabilised, obviously their pace was just much better, so I tried to not lose too much time with everyone coming, especially with Max. In the end, we had a good result.”

Lawson sits ninth in the Drivers' Championship on 89 points, and looks set to secure his team a valuable fifth place in the Constructors' Championship, putting them top of the midfield.

Nevertheless, his future with the team still hangs in the balance as Racing Bulls may look to promote rookie driver Nikola Tsolov and develop him for a seat at Red Bull, since Lawson has already spurned his opportunity with the senior team.

Lawson has been coy in his responses to the media over his future, with the team declaring after the Brazilian Grand Prix: "I don't know what else they want me to do."

His performances have been exemplary, recording 16 top-10 finishes in 20 races, showing a mature and measured racing craft which was frequently questioned when he was sprung into the seat at Red Bull.

Red Bull and Racing Bulls are notoriously harsh in their handling of drivers adopting a sink-or-swim approach, and in the case of Lawson, the decision remains on a knife-edge.