However, despite his results, Racing Bulls are considering making a change. They have a three-into-two situation in terms of their driver options, with Lawson one of the contenders along with Arvid Lindblad, who has enjoyed a strong debut season despite being out-scored by the Kiwi, and Formula 2 title contender Nikola Tsolov.

While Lawson's results have been strong, Racing Bulls act as an unofficial feeder team to the main Red Bull outfit and so one of their biggest remits is to develop talent.

Lawson made his F1 debut for the team in 2023, got a brief chance to race for the top team before being dropped last year and stepped in again earlier this season for a three-race cameo deputising for the injured Isack Hadjar. This weekend's race in Sao Paulo will be his 55th F1 start.

And so, while Bayer admits the "general consensus" is that Lawson has done enough this season to earn a contract extension, retaining him instead of promoting Tsolov would go against the team's mission to develop the next generation. That's what Bayer said as he pointed at team principal Alan Permane as the man with the final say on the matter.

"Our role, as the leading developer of talent in Formula 1, is to continuously bring new drivers through. We've brought 22 drivers into Formula 1, including the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and others. That's why I say that, at the end of the day, the decision lies with Alan. And he will make the right choice for the team. We chatted about that briefly on Saturday."

He said: "I would still rather have Liam as the reference for any other young juniors coming through, because if you've got [Arvid] Lindblad in his second season, and Tsolov as the rookie, there's no clear benchmark. There's no clear reference of, 'We don't know how much Lindblad has improved into season two'.

"He could have made a step as big as Kimi Antonelli. He could not. Why have that level of question mark over the performance of the overall team? To me, it just makes no sense. They're top of the midfield. That team, there's a lot of commercial money there. There's a lot of prize money there, and to me, I just don't understand why you would change that."

As for Lawson himself, he can do nothing more than perform as well as he can and wait. He said: "I'm trying my best. Every weekend, I'm trying to maximise. In Mexico, I gave it everything. There's definitely no assurance at the moment. It's a tough sport. Right now, I don't know what else to say, really."

Big moments. Packed grandstands. A championship battle that’s heating up.

When the Formula 1 season delivers like this, watching from home just isn’t the same as being there when the lights go out.

With Gullivers Sports Travel, you can experience the most iconic races on the Formula 1 calendar LIVE! Enjoy tickets, handpicked hotels, and seamless travel with one of the UK’s leading sports travel specialists.