Ending weeks of speculation, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls confirmed that both Liam Lawson and Arvid LIndblad will be back for the 2027 Formula 1 season.

Both drivers have been impressive this year. Lindblad quickly acclimated to life on the F1 grid as a rookie, scoring points on debut with an eighth-place finish in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Lindblad currently sits 11th in the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings, with 38 points.

As for Lawson, he sits ninth in the standings with 89 points, and is well on his way to finishing his best season on the F1 grid. Not only has he played a large role in VCARB strong season — the team sits fifth in the Constructors’ Championship standings, at the front of the midfield — but when Isack Hadjar was injured midway through the season, Lawson stepped in at Red Bull and scored points in two of his three races with the senior team.

Despite these strong results, however, speculation grew in recent weeks that the team might roll with a changed lineup next year. Nikola Tsolov, the young Bulgarian driver, has impressed in both FP1 sessions as well as testing sessions for VCARB and those performances led to speculation that Tsolov would be selected for one of those two seats, perhaps replacing Lawson.

Tsolov currently drives in F2, where he is battling Haas-bound Rafael Câmara for the Drivers’ Championship.

That speculation led to some frustration from Lawson in recent weeks, as the veteran driver discussed his future ahead of last weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix.

“I don’t know. I mean, every weekend I’ve been trying to obviously do my best,” said Lawson in Brazil when asked if a string of P7 finishes in Malaysia, Singapore, and Mexico were enough to secure his spot at VCARB.

“But we’ve had a really strong year and we’re in a good position. We’re fighting Alpine. We’re pulling away from Alpine every weekend, and with a few races left, we’re trying to stay on top of them.

“I don’t know what else they want me to do, but yeah, it’s just one of those things at the moment.”

Lawson went out at Interlagos and delivered another strong weekend, qualifying fifth — and starting third due to grid penalties — and finishing seventh, and that may have well put him over the top.

“We’re delighted to be continuing with Liam and Arvid for 2027,” said Team Principal Alan Permane in the announcement. “Both have demonstrated their ability and potential throughout the season, and we’ve seen the progress they’ve made, both individually and as a pairing. I have no doubt that this is the best driver line-up for us, bringing a strong combination of experience and ambition. Together, we have a solid foundation to build on the progress made this year, continue pushing ourselves forward and take the next step towards achieving our ambitions in 2027.”

“I’m very happy to be continuing with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls next year. We’ve had a brilliant season together and the team has worked very hard to produce a fast car, which I’ve loved driving,” said Lawson. “It feels great to be part of a historic season for the team as we continue our fight for P5 in the Constructors’ Championship. It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone both at track, and back at the factory. I’m looking forward to carrying this moment forward with Arvid through to 2027; we’re building something super positive and I’m excited by what we can achieve together.”

“I’m very happy to be continuing with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls next year. We’ve had a brilliant season together and the team has worked very hard to produce a fast car, which I’ve loved driving. It feels great to be part of a historic season for the team as we continue our fight for P5 in the Constructors’ Championship,” added Lindblad. “It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone both at track, and back at the factory. I’m looking forward to carrying this moment forward with Arvid through to 2027; we’re building something super positive and I’m excited by what we can achieve together.”

In the end, this seems like the wisest course of action for VCARB. Both drivers did everything asked of them this season, hit the ground running with the new regulations, and demonstrated that they both belong on the F1 grid, at least for one more season.

F1 returns to action next week with the Las Vegas Grand Prix.