Liam Lawson faces ‘nightmare scenario’ at Racing Bulls as 2026 rules could punish his driving style

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Liam Lawson has been warned that the new 2026 Formula 1 cars could uncover his ‘Achilles’ heel’ this season.

Racing Bulls have had a middling time in pre-season testing thus far, although Arvid Lindblad completed more laps than any other driver during the morning session on Wednesday.

He handed the car over to Liam Lawson for the afternoon session as both drivers prepare for the opening race of the season in Australia.

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Jack Doohan has assessed the Racing Bulls car from trackside during testing in Bahrain, and while he’s spotted an issue that might hinder them going forward, team principal Alan Permane will be hopeful that they’ve got enough time to iron out any problems with the VCARB 03 before the campaign starts.

Commentator and journalist Nelson Valkenburg has been speaking about Lawson’s chances in 2026 and spotted a potential problem for the New Zealander.

He thinks that the demons that plagued his very short stint at Red Bull could come back to haunt him this year.

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

Racing Bulls ‘tail happy’ car could be a ‘nightmare scenario’ for Liam Lawson

Valkenburg was speaking about Racing Bulls’ performance on the Nailing the Apex Podcast and explained: “Yes, it felt very uninterested in headline lap times, but they had some performance niggles and some engine problems and hydraulics.

“I don’t know, where the foundation of the Red Bull feels incredibly strong and stable, less so for the Racing Bulls team, but we can put them in this similar category [to Audi]. Could be fifth, could be eighth.

“I’m becoming a fan of Lindblad. When I spoke to him, he didn’t look shell-shocked, and that’s a good place to be after your first few test days.

“For Lawson, I worry a bit simply because we’ve learned over these days that there is a way of going fast into corners that makes the car a little tail happy.

“Which is probably a nightmare scenario for Liam Lawson, considering what we saw at Red Bull last year.

Name the one driver you think is most likely to lose their F1 seat in 2026 👇

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“You go through the gears, your weight transfers to the front, you do a lot of engine braking and the car, and you have to hang on to the rear as you turn into the corner, basically Max’s dream, right?

“But conversely, that could be Lawson’s Achilles’ heel because he couldn’t do it in the Red Bull.

“He didn’t get the time to learn to teach himself how to do it. But watch this space to see if Liam Lawson adapts to it.”

READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation

Racing Bulls have high hopes for Liam Lawson ahead of the 2026 F1 season

Although there are signs that the new regulations might not suit Lawson’s skillset, he’s still young enough to improve at the rapid rate required to succeed under these rules.

Racing Bulls have high hopes for Lawson, and wouldn’t have re-signed him over Yuki Tsunoda if they didn’t think he could succeed alongside Lindblad.

Lawson finished the first day of the second week of testing in Bahrain in P12, seven positions ahead of Lindblad.

Although times mean very little at this stage of the season, it would have given Lawson a nice confidence boost heading into the final days of preparation before the campaign begins.