Liam Lawson acknowledged that better qualifying performances are an area that he will need to improve on with his Formula 1 future confirmed for next year.
The Kiwi spent much of the year under a cloud of sorts, with speculation growing as to the driver line-ups at both Red Bull and Racing Bulls teams for 2026.
After being fired by Red Bull after just two races, Lawson was sent back to his former stable, alongside Isack Hadjar.
The French rookie performed superbly over the season, and ultimately did enough to earn himself the coveted but maligned second seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Lawson did manage to turn his season around, though, and ended the year 14th with 38 points, just two positions and 13 points behind Hadjar.
But qualifying appeared to be somewhat of an Achilles’ heel throughout the year, having out-qualified Hadjar seven times in their 22 races as team-mates.
Speaking ahead of the penultimate round in Qatar, Lawson admitted that extracting one-lap pace from the VCARB 02 was a little harder than he had anticipated.
“I would say it’s definitely been more of a struggle for me,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “I think the car has been very quick, and I think that’s been what we’ve really worked on on our side a lot more this year – trying to extract one lap out of the car, and out of me. And I think it’s got a lot better through the year.
“Obviously, Vegas was very specific. It was more like 12 laps than one lap with the way quali was. But I think it’s been getting better through the year.
“And with how close it is, it’s just putting everything together. I mean, in a whole weekend, trying to execute everything is hard enough.
“That’s been really the challenge in a season that’s this close. And it’s also why when things don’t go smoothly, you can lose quite a lot.”
With Lawson confirmed to continue with the Faenza-based squad for 2026, he will have a new rookie alongside him in the form of Arvid Lindblad.
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