The 2026 Formula One season may only be five races old, but one driver is already “under pressure” to save his job heading into this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

The current campaign couldn’t have gone any better for Mercedes, who have won every race to date this season. Many other teams, however, are struggling for pace amid the raft of technical changes that have been introduced for 2026.

As a result of the ever-changing nature of the sport, teams are consistently evaluating their approaches, including who is driving their cars.

F1 Driver Faces Uncertain Future Despite Promising Start to 2026 Season

Even those who have shown signs of improvement seemingly aren’t exempt from the chopping block as a new report suggests that an F1 team could be preparing to cut ties with a driver who has scored points in three of this year’s five races.

New Zealand’s Liam Lawson is no stranger to having to battle for his spot on the F1 grid, having been demoted from Red Bull to sister team Racing Bulls after just two races of the 2025 campaign.

The 24-year-old was then forced to fend off competition from Yuki Tsunoda to retain his seat in 2026. To his credit, Lawson has made a creditable start to the new campaign, racking up a total of 16 points.

To put that number into perspective, only Max Verstappen (43) has more points this season within the Red Bull family. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, Isack Hadjar, sits on 14 points, with Lawson’s Racing Bulls colleague Arvid Lindblad having picked up just five points.

What Under Pressure F1 Driver Must Do To Save His Job

However, despite being impressed by the Kiwi’s start to the campaign, Racing Bulls could ruthlessly axe him if his results drop off. They already have his replacement in mind.

The Red Bull second string are increasingly keen to hand an opportunity to teenage F2 prospect Nikola Tsolov and a recent report from SoyMotor suggests that Lawson could be the man to make way for the talented Bulgarian.

The report notes that Tsolov is “knocking on the door” for a seat at Racing Bulls next season and believes that Lawson will find himself out of a job if he doesn’t continue to outperform his current teammate Lindblad.

Racing Bulls only handed Lawson a one-year deal in December, meaning that it won’t cost them anything to move on from him at the end of the season. Sources suggest that he will need to maintain a “clear advantage” over Lindblad in the Drivers’ Championship standings in order to earn a fresh contract and retain his seat.

That means that every race counts for Lawson, starting in Monaco this weekend.

Liverpool icon Emile Heskey has urged Liverpool to bring in one of the world’s best wingers for Andoni Iraola this summer to get them back where they belong.

The Reds endured a difficult 2025/26 season as they finished fifth in the Premier League and trophyless, which saw the board opt to sack manager Arne Slot just 12 months after he won the title, with Spaniard Iraola on his way in on a two-year contract.

The club are expected to have a busy summer transfer window once again this year, with Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibrahima Konate all departing on free transfers, while others could be sold. That means some incomings are expected, with a forward understood to be a priority target.

Heskey: Liverpool Should Sign Kvaratskhelia

Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move to sign RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande this summer, with the Bundesliga side putting a huge asking price on his head amid the heavy interest in his signature.

France international Bradley Barcola has also been linked, having found himself down the pecking order under Luis Enrique. However, while speaking at a Panini event, former Reds striker Emile Heskey admitted that he feels the club should be making a move for his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia instead, who Clarence Seedorf recently described as ‘the best player in the world’.

“Liverpool needs wingers and people that will chip in with pace, goals and assists,” he said. “Both Diomande and Barcola would be incredible signings.

“But for me, Kvaratskhelia would be an unbelievable signing for the club, he has everything. He’d be a tough one to try and pry away from PSG, but I’ve no doubt that he would be such a strong acquisition and provide so much quality.”

“I remember a few years ago watching him for Napoli play against Leicester and thinking ‘Wow, this kid has got the lot [Kvaratskhelia]’. He’s just a brilliant player but also has incredible work rate, he would suit Liverpool down to the ground.”

Heskey: Panini Stickers a Proud Career Moment

Emile Heskey was speaking at the launch of the Official Panini World Cup Sticker Collection Pop-up shop at Selfridges Oxford Street.

Speaking about the sticker book and the history behind it, the former Leicester and England icon admitted that it was a proud moment when he was included in one for the first time.

“Being part of a Panini sticker collection was always a proud moment in my career,” Heskey said.

“As a player, you know you’ve made it when kids around the world are hunting for your sticker, swapping you in the playground and trying to complete their albums. I remember that excitement myself, so to be here opening this pop-up and seeing that same buzz ahead of another FIFA World Cup is really special.”

Produced for every FIFA World Cup™ since 1970, Panini’s sticker collections have become a cultural countdown to kick-off for fans of all ages.

Having arrived in the summer of 2024 and then led Liverpool to Premier League glory in his debut season, not many would have predicted Arne Slot would be sacked after his second campaign at Anfield. However, it was clear to see standards had slipped in his final months.

The Reds won their league title with 84 points in 2024/25, but picked up 24 fewer this time around, dropping to fifth in the table – no team in the division had a bigger deficit. That poor form alone was probably enough to see the Dutchman sacked, but it wouldn’t have helped that he appeared to be losing the dressing room.

This was no clearer than when Mohamed Salah openly criticised the team’s displays under Slot, calling for a ‘heavy metal’ style of football as opposed to what the 47-year-old was delivering at Anfield. The post was liked by a considerable number of Liverpool stars, and a new report has revealed why some of the squad may have been glad to see their former coach depart.

According to SPORT BILD, via Anfield Watch, Slots ‘arrogant’ attitude towards some of his players left many feeling alienated. The eye-opening report claims that he didn’t handle some of the summer signings with the most grace when things weren’t panning out as planned.

“One problem was his handling of his star players,” the report explained. “While he was praised at the start of the season for his sensitive approach following the tragic death of star striker Diogo Jota, he crossed the line elsewhere.”

It then claims that “objective criticism became mixed with arrogance and personal barbs.” before noting:

It’s no wonder that this supposedly ‘didn’t go down well’ with many of the players. After all, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong both arrived from German club Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, while Hugo Ekitike joined from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Not only that, but the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Wataru Endo also arrived in England directly from German clubs, while record signing Alexander Isak also played in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund.

What’s Next For Slot as Iraola Joins Liverpool

Despite apparent issues in the dressing room, Liverpool had planned to stick with Slot before having a sudden change of heart at the end of the season. Reports suggest the Duthcman was quite surprised by the call and had expected to remain in charge.

Despite a poor season, many clubs will have an eye on the 47-year-old who is now a free agent. AC Milan were immediately linked with him after the news broke, while there have been some suggestions that Slot would be open to taking the Dutch national team job, should it become vacant after the 2026 World Cup.

Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan has claimed: “If Ronald Koeman steps down after the World Cup…there is a vacancy at the Dutch national team. “I think Arne Slot is very, very much up for that; he’s probably the ideal candidate.

As for Liverpool, they’ve wasted no time in moving on, quickly appointing former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as their new head coach.