Liam Lawson

How Racing Bulls helped Lawson rediscover his spark after Red Bull axing

16:42, 20 Aug

Updated: 17:21, 20 Aug

bySamson Ero

Liam Lawson had an unconventional start to a Formula 1 season, as he was axed from his seat at the Red Bull Racing outfit after just two races. Racing Bulls’ boss Alan Permane has, however, hinted at how the team helped the Kiwi driver rediscover his spark following his rocky season start.

Lawson’s first full season as a Formula 1 driver kicked off on unlikely terms, something he himself describes as a whirlwind start. The 23-year-old, who had been promoted to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing, was quickly ‘demoted’ to the Racing Bulls team ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.

His return to the Faenza-based outfit was anything but smooth, as he largely failed to make any impression on his rookie teammate Isack Hadjar — at least until the Monaco Grand Prix. Fast-forward to after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lawson has now recorded four points-scoring finishes for his team, including three in the last four races.

Racing Bulls’ team principal, however, opened up on how the team helped the New Zealand driver recover his spark. Speaking with the media, including GPblog, during the Hungarian GP weekend, the French motorsport chief stated:

“Yeah. He's done a great job, honestly. Two races at Red Bull, obviously, were very tough for him. He won't thank me for saying this, but he definitely was a bit downbeat. He didn't have a spring in his step, and we've done what we can to help him there.”

“To jump in our car straight away without having tested it was, of course, not easy. He's up against Isack, who has been outstanding this year. First race for him was Japan, and Isack was absolutely flying there. So, it's a tough introduction for him, but we've made some changes. He's worked hard. He and his engineering team have worked really, really hard."

"We had a bit of a breakthrough in Austria. We had a new front suspension for him, which they developed through the simulator, and he really liked it, was really enthusiastic about it, and it worked there. We saw last week in Spa again, he's performing. You could see after that race. Monaco was a decent race for him, but Austria, he had a spring back in his step.”

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson on his focus for 2025

Liam Lawson himself opened up on his focus for the remainder of the 2025 campaign. The Racing Bulls star hinted at just focusing on achieving positive results until the conclusion of the season.

Lawson also detailed the need to improve on his performance in qualifying, stressing it could largely impact the points-scoring finishes he secures on race Sundays.