Liam Lawson has revealed the key to retaining his Racing Bulls seat for 2026 following a turbulent maiden season in Formula 1
Winning the battle to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate, Lawson started 2025 at Red Bull, having impressed after replacing Daniel Ricciardo for the final six races of 2024.
However, his catastrophic lack of pace and confidence in the RB21 relative to Verstappen resulted in the Kiwi being demoted back to Racing Bulls after just two races.
Lawson has been locked in a season-long battle to save his seat, with Yuki Tsuonda replacing him at Red Bull, and junior Arvid Lindblad waiting in the wings to join Racing Bulls.
As the season draws to a close, Lawson is aware that the entirety of his maiden campaign will be analysed, rather than his disastrous opening two rounds, citing this as critical to his future.
“Your first year in F1 is the most important,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“It is really the year where you improve, whether you stay in the sport, and I think more guys probably lose their drive after one or two seasons of Formula 1 rather than multiple seasons.”
Lawson has ‘only ever known’ pressure
Lawson’s efforts to retain his seat suffered a setback in Las Vegas, finishing a disappointing 14th, while team-mate Isack Hadjar excelled again to finish sixth.
However, he has confirmed his acceptance of the situation, tellingly revealing his relationship with the pressure to perform to satisfy senior figures at Red Bull.
“Once you secure a seat for a few years, you are known to be a valuable driver,” he remarked.
“It is getting to that point, and especially in this team and the Red Bull environment, that is how it has always been, so [not knowing my future] is nothing new.
“Obviously, I’d love to have the comfort of being secure, but at the same time, I’ve only ever known this sort of pressure and environment, so it is what I know.”
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