Guenther Steiner already disagrees with Jolyon Palmer on Liam Lawson’s role at Racing Bulls

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Guenther Steiner has come out in support of Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson ahead of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.

Racing Bulls will be hoping to build on finishing sixth in the constructors’ championship last season as one of the few teams on the grid to have changed their driver line-up over the winter break.

Liam Lawson saw off a challenge from Yuki Tsunoda to retain his seat this year, as his old teammate, Isack Hadjar, replaced the Japanese driver at Red Bull, allowing F2 star Arvid Lindblad to make his Formula 1 debut.

What do you expect from Liam Lawson in the 2026 F1 season?

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It means Racing Bulls are the least experienced team on the grid this year, but they have a decent car that looks capable of fighting for points in the midfield.

Martin Brundle is already hearing that Lindblad is impressing behind the scenes, but it will be Lawson who leads the team in 2026.

Previewing the season, Guenther Steiner has been speaking up about the 24-year-old’s chances, and countered an argument that Jolyon Palmer made about him during pre-season.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Guenther Steiner has ‘confidence’ that Liam Lawson can lead Racing Bulls in 2026

Jolyon Palmer admitted he was worried about Lawson being Racing Bulls’ team leader in 2026 during testing in Bahrain.

The New Zealander has taken part in the fewest Formula 1 races of any driver on the grid who is lining up as the more experienced teammate in 2026, as Lindblad is the sport’s only rookie this year.

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast about Racing Bulls ahead of the season starting, Steiner said: “They are very close to Red Bull Racing. So, if there is something they need to learn, they can learn it quicker because there are collaborations, legal ones, so it’s easy.

“I think Liam, now knowing that he is the senior driver, I think he will get back to his good old [best].

“I think staying calm and all that, and he showed last year that he can be at the level like Hadjar and Hadjar made it to Red Bull.

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“So, I think that’s him giving him the confidence that he can lead the team.

“Obviously, Lindblad, we have to see how good he is, but he was promising in the lower formulas.

“So why should he not deliver, but I put it more down to, it’s Racing Bulls over the last years, they got a lot more consistent in the midfield.

“So I think that is my reason why I think they are sixth.”

Steiner was then asked about the head-to-head battle between Lawson and Lindblad and confidently picked the New Zealander to come out on top over his rookie teammate.

READ MORE: Who is 2026 Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad? Everything you need to know

Liam Lawson previews ‘exciting’ Australian Grand Prix for Racing Bulls

Lawson has been speaking about the difference between arriving at Albert Park this season compared to 12 months ago.

Last season, Lawson was preparing for his Red Bull debut alongside Max Verstappen after his hasty promotion into the senior team.

A Q1 exit and crash during the race ended up being one of his two outings for the team, but a return to Melbourne with Racing Bulls should fill Lawson with more confidence.

“It’s just a lot of unknowns right now,” Lawson said in his official pre-race weekend media session.

“It’s obviously exciting to see what these new cars bring to the sport, but for us, it’s definitely a different feeling to where I came in last year, right at the end of a regulation period, so the cars were fully developed.

“This year, we’re still figuring them out, so it’s going to be very interesting.”

Lawson has been positively surprised by Red Bull’s new power unit, although its reliability over a full race weekend is going to be just as important as its performance.

However, Lawson has admitted he doesn’t feel fully ‘ready’ for Formula 1’s biggest regulation changes in a generation.