Liam Lawson admits struggle to ‘master’ different 2026 F1 driving style in Bahrain

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Liam Lawson has met new changes to master at the start of his second season in Formula 1 with the new regulations that have been introduced.

During the Bahrain Test, Liam Lawson has had difficulties with his 2026 VCARB03 as he has run into technical issues with the car itself, and with the new way of driving under the new regulations.

As well as the issues with the new car, there is a new member in his team, as Lawson is working with a new engineer for 2026: Alexandre Iliopoulos has replaced Ernesto Desiderio.

The second day of testing did not go to plan for Lawson or Racing Bulls as the 24-year-old completed only 50 laps around the Bahrain International Circuit.

This followed a day with no track time for the Kiwi driver, as he only observed on the opening day of the test.

Here’s how the teams fare at the end of Bahrain testing Day 2 ⏱️

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

Liam Lawson ran into multiple issues on day two at Bahrain

After getting no track time on the opening day of the Bahrain Test, the issues continued for Lawson on day two, but he was able to complete his first laps of the test.

Despite his minimal laps during the test, he continued to look for positives and insisted the mood within the Racing Bulls garage was good, and they would focus on the performance of the VCARB03 at next week’s Bahrain Test.

During this time, he must also find a way to adapt, as the new regulations have forced him to change his driving style to suit the new car.

After his first laps, Lawson spoke to Formula 1 and said, “We had a few little issues today, which stopped a bit of running. But I had my first few laps, and tomorrow we will spend a lot more time in the car, which I am looking forward to.”

He went on to discuss the mood in the Racing Bulls team after running into these issues, “It is good, we are learning as fast as we can, it is all very new. So, coming into the test, we knew to try not to be frustrated when we have these small things that we have to stop running for sometimes.

“The main thing is to put the car in a good place, and we have tomorrow to learn a lot more. I think next week we will spend a lot more time on performance than anything else.”

Lawson admitted that he has not yet adapted his driving style to the new regulations, “It is very new, very different, a different driving style, more sensitive, we have to be a lot more aware behind the wheel. Even in qualifying a little bit of management will potentially need to be done at different tracks.

“It is very new, and it is definitely something I have not mastered yet. So, we will spend the next few weeks trying to be as prepared for Melbourne as we can.”

Liam Lawson is being targeted by his rookie teammate

On paper, it appears to be a positive that Lawson has a rookie teammate for his second year in Formula 1. However, Arvid Lindblad has clearly come into Racing Bulls with a point to prove.

After Isack Hadjar was promoted to Red Bull for the 2026 season, the 18-year-old Lindblad was promoted from Formula 2 into Racing Bulls. Throughout this year, Lawson will have to watch out for his teammate, as Lindblad has painted a target on Lawson’s back.

Ahead of his rookie season in Formula 1, Lindblad knows he will be compared to his teammate and has already stated that he ‘wants to beat Liam’.

Lawson was comfortably bettered by Hadjar during their time as teammates in 2025, as he outqualified and finished higher than him regularly throughout the season.