Jolyon Palmer thinks Liam Lawson is now benefiting from Helmut Marko’s absence at Red Bull

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The upcoming Japanese Grand Prix marks exactly one year since Red Bull demoted Liam Lawson to Racing Bulls after just two races. Jolyon Palmer has shared his thoughts on the Kiwi’s development since, including the absence of Helmut Marko.

Liam Lawson was arguably given the harshest chance at being Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull last year, with his two-race stint at the Austrian constructor marking the shortest time that any F1 driver has been given alongside the Dutchman.

The swift action came after Helmut Marko was surprised by Lawson’s lack of competitiveness. A decision to replace the New Zealander with Yuki Tsunoda came ahead of the Japanese driver’s, and Honda’s, home Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Red Bull demoted Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls exactly one year ago 🗓️ How do you rate his last 12 months in F1 out of 10? 🤔

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Marko was a big critic of Lawson during his first full season in the category last year, but the 24-year-old got some respite at the end of the campaign when the long-time special advisor to Red Bull announced his retirement after over 20 years with the team.

• READ MORE: Liam Lawson just delivered the ‘perfect response’ to Arvid Lindblad at the Chinese Grand Prix

Jolyon Palmer thinks Liam Lawson is now benefiting from Helmut Marko’s absence in the F1 paddock

During a Japanese Grand Prix preview episode of the F1 Nation podcast, F1TV pundit Jolyon Palmer was asked for his thoughts on Lawson’s start to the 2026 campaign without the figure of Marko inside the Racing Bulls garage.

The former F1 driver replied, “I think all of them will be, maybe minus Max. He was a big presence that could be really hard on young drivers coming through, but he was also a benefit to those who could thrive and become a world champion.

“Liam obviously saw the brunt of that last year. But it did remind me of the resilience that he’s got, and I think you have to say he’s a tough guy, Liam. We’ve seen it in his wheel-to-wheel battles; he’s not afraid to flip the bird to whoever does him wrong in a Grand Prix.

“And also, it took him a while to get up to speed with Racing Bulls last year as well. It wasn’t instantaneous, but he got there, and he had some good drives.

“The same thing in Melbourne. It would have been really easy for him to say, ‘Oh no, Lindblad’s here. He’s getting all the credit from Australia.’ But he drove really well in China, getting points in the sprint and the Grand Prix, and it just will settle him down for the year as well.”

• READ MORE: F1 fans have now identified an ‘underrated’ Liam Lawson attribute during the Chinese Grand Prix

Liam Lawson is heading into the Japanese Grand Prix with an engine advantage over Red Bull

After claiming his first points of the season in Shanghai, Lawson can now take a lot of confidence into the upcoming race weekend at Suzuka, where he will be looking to add to his tally.

Lawson’s P7 at the Chinese Grand Prix marked him as the leading driver from the Red Bull stable, and the data from his Racing Bulls F1 car suggests that the VCARB03 allows its drivers to extract more efficiency out of the RBPT power unit.

Racing Bulls also have a special livery lined up for the Japanese Grand Prix, which was announced a week ahead of the proceedings in Suzuka.