Key Highlights
- But a lot of things have happened this year that have made me a lot stronger."Lawson understandably felt hard done by when he was swapped with Yuki Tsunoda, but the 23-year-old had little time to dwell on such a brutal demotion as he dove headfirst into the next race with his new team in Suzuka, the start of a 22-race spell alongside promising rookie Isack Hadjar.
- It proved a career-defining stint to secure his future as Red Bull mulled over which of its five drivers (including F2 ace Arvid Lindblad) to distribute over its four 2026 cars. Liam Lawson's stint with Red Bull Racing was short-livedLiam Lawson's stint with Red Bull Racing was short-livedHadjar's headstart on Lawson, by having done the full pre-season and the first two weekends, gave the Frenchman a leg up at the start.
- And while he proved the quicker of the two over one lap, by an ever-dwindling margin, Lawson did manage to find a stable performance platform and gradually worked his way back to the required form to earn an extended stay at Racing Bulls. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Liam has done a fantastic job – he's stabilised over the season, his race pace is consistently very strong," team CEO Peter Bayer said in Abu Dhabi. Lawson has now competed in 35 grands prix, but still hasn't had the luxury of completing a full campaign for the same team.
- The 2026 season will give him that chance, and with it the opportunity to dispel any lingering doubts about his staying power."I can look back on the year, and I think we've definitely found a lot of progress through the year," he reflected.
- "I can confidently say I'm in a much more comfortable position now than I was, especially when I first made the switch earlier in the season. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Obviously, you're just playing catch-up, and, yeah, as the season went on, I got a lot more comfortable.
