Liam Lawson’s Formula 1 career has been anything but straightforward. Since his shock debut as a stand-in for Daniel Ricciardo in 2023, the New Zealander has experienced the dizzying highs of a promotion to Red Bull and the crushing lows of being written off by critics. Yet as he arrives at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2026, Lawson finds himself in unfamiliar territory: stability, confidence, and a genuine sense of belonging.
Three years on from that unexpected first race, Lawson is the leading driver outside the top four teams in the championship, sitting ninth in the standings. He trails Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar by just 25 points, a remarkable feat given the turmoil of the past 12 months. But what makes this resurgence even more striking is the context of his journey.
A Year of Turmoil
Just a year ago, Lawson was facing an uncertain future. His mid-season move to Red Bull in 2025 had been a disaster, with the car ill-suited to his style and results failing to materialise. Many had already penned his obituary, expecting him to be dropped from the junior squad entirely. Instead, Lawson returned to Racing Bulls with a point to prove, and he has done so in emphatic fashion.
His team principal, Alan Permane, has been effusive in his praise. "He’s come on immensely," Permane said. "I can see he’s happier, and in his driving he’s more focused. He’s quicker." The improvement, Permane believes, stems from Lawson’s willingness to listen and adapt. "I think if you said to him last year, ‘you’re doing these things wrong, and therefore, by doing this, we think you can be quicker,’ maybe he wouldn’t have agreed. But this year he has. He’s listened to what we said to him. So that gives us a nice bit of trust."
That trust has been crucial. It has fostered a more collaborative environment, where feedback is honest and constructive. "I’m not scared to give him a bollocking if it’s not going well," Permane admitted. "But I also try to be really honest with the drivers. If something isn’t good enough, I’ll tell them. But also, if they’ve done a fantastic job, I’ll tell them as well."
The Value of Stability
For Lawson, the key difference this year has been stability. After two late-season cameos in 2023 and 2024, and a full but turbulent campaign in 2025, he finally has a full winter of preparation under his belt. "It’s really important," he said. "We were struggling a lot in the pre-season tests and spent a lot of time talking about the direction we needed to go. So being a part of those conversations and knowing everything we’re developing, knowing exactly what we’re focused on, that’s been really important. I’m not jumping in having missed all of that and just trying to sort of play catch-up."
His race engineer, Alexandre Iliopoulos, echoed that sentiment. "Really, last year was his first season in Formula 1 even though he’d been around for a lot of time," he said. "We tend to forget maybe that he was almost a rookie. And obviously, experience in Formula 1 is key, because it’s such a different series from other motorsports. Having that full year of experience is very helpful for him to focus on the things that matter most."
Attention to Detail
Lawson’s resurgence has also been built on an obsessive attention to detail, particularly with the complex 2026 power unit regulations. He has thrown himself into the intricacies of energy deployment, often finding marginal gains that make a difference on race day. A prime example came at the season opener in Australia, where his suggestion to lift through certain corners to harvest energy proved prescient.
"I think there’s probably a bit more homework you can do on each weekend to make sure that you’re getting everything out of the power unit," Lawson explained. "That’s something that’s been quite powerful this year. I’ve enjoyed that work ethic with the team. The more you look into it, you find little things that work for you."
Iliopoulos noted that Lawson has fully embraced the challenge. "He understands how important it is to make this car and this series of regs fast. He fully is on board with it and tries to ask the right questions."
Confidence and Momentum
Perhaps the most visible change in Lawson is his demeanour. He admits he is the happiest he has been in F1, and that confidence is translating into results. "Yeah, definitely you enjoy it when you have success," he said. "But at the end of the day, we know we all have this mission that we’re all working towards. That’s very much the focus, and I get maybe more enjoyment out of taking steps and getting closer to that."
Iliopoulos believes that scoring points consistently has reinforced Lawson’s trust in the process. "In every sport, the confidence aspect is very important. Scoring points is important to keep focussing on what matters," he said. "There’s so many details, so many things that you can get lost in – and then you start doubting stuff and not trusting what people say. So if you score, it reinforces that you trust the car, you trust the people, you trust the engineers and you trust the whole process. And then you can just focus on driving the car and driving it fast."
With a strong relationship with Permane, a settled environment, and a newfound attention to the finer details, Lawson has silenced his doubters. The turbulent days of 2025 seem a distant memory. Now, he is focused on the future, and the Racing Bulls driver is finally showing the consistency that F1 demands.
