Liam Lawson has denied that there were ‘ghosts’ to conquer in order to prove himself in Formula 1 after his brief stint in the second Red Bull seat.
The Kiwi driver first entered Formula 1 at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2023, where he sat in for Daniel Ricciardo after he broke his hand. After this, his first points came at the difficult Singapore Grand Prix. His impressive performance, in which he knocked Max Verstappen out of Q2 of qualifying, was followed by his grabbing points in the race.
Everyone had now seen that the Kiwi was capable of amazing performances. Eventually, Lawson got a full-time seat towards the end of the 2024 season at the United States GP. He had impressed and earned a promotion from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing. But, unfortunately, his time at Red Bull was not one to remember. After only two fruitless rounds, Lawson was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda and returned to the sister team.
Asked by PlanetF1 whether his performance in the 2026 season had put the “ghosts” of his Red Bull stint to bed, Lawson said: “Honestly, no, not really. I don’t really; I haven’t really thought too much about what people thought last year or anything like that.
“I’m very focused on where I’m at right now, making sure I have a good season and trying to obviously have a future in Formula 1 and work towards the same goal we’re all working towards.”
Lawson not thinking about his Red Bull stint
While some might spend time pondering the past, Lawson admitted that he does not think about his brief time in the Red Bull seat.
“So yeah, in terms of stuff that’s happened in the past and last year, it’s not really something that I think about now,” Lawson explained.
“I think it’s probably more for you guys [the media] to decide whatever you think, because for me, it’s not something I think about now.”
The 2026 season has once again shown Lawson’s consistency and talent. The Racing Bulls driver currently sits ninth in the Drivers’ Standings with 43 points under his belt.
“It’s not really a thing for me. I think right now in this season we’re doing a very, very good job. In my eyes, I didn’t really have a ghost of last year,” he continued.
“I had a tough season. But I learned a huge amount through it, and honestly, I’ve come out of that as a much stronger driver and person.”
“I’m trying to use all that each week, and I get in the car now to have a good season, and that’s what I’m doing. However people view it is up to them.”
Focused on consistency and moving forward
Furthermore, Lawson’s performance this season has only proven his spot in the sport. If anything, his difficulties last year have made him stronger. As hard as it can be to stand out in the midfield, where several drivers are putting on a great performance every race weekend, Lawson has done just that.
“At the end of the day, obviously people can look at it however they want. But, at the moment, things are going very, very well, and that’s what we’re focused on continuing, trying to keep that consistency going,” he added.
“It’s probably the hardest thing in Formula 1; to keep that consistency, especially, I think, in the midfield; you’re sort of always in all the action.
“So for us, it’s been working very well. But yeah, I would say this year is a good representation of where things are at.”
In a twist of fate, Lawson will be back where it all began for him at the Dutch Grand Prix, but this time in a Red Bull seat. The Racing Bulls driver will replace Isack Hadjar for the weekend, with the Frenchman sidelined by injury.
READ MORE: Red Bull confirms shock Isack Hadjar absence from F1 Dutch GP
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