Liam Lawson resorts to ‘weird’ driving style as he struggles to ‘get his head around’ 2026 F1 cars

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Onlookers at pre-season testing have noticed Liam Lawson struggling more than his new rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad with Racing Bulls’ 2026 car.

Liam Lawson is the only driver on the 2026 F1 grid with a rookie teammate this year, but that puts him under unique pressure.

Lawson is technically the youngest senior driver in Formula 1 this season, with the 24-year-old six years Arvid Lindblad’s senior.

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

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Red Bull were impressed with Lawson’s mentorship of Isack Hadjar last year, but now he faces a new challenge in the form of a British teenager and a brand new car built to Formula 1’s updated regulations.

Racing Bulls look set to feature in F1’s midfield once again, although Lawson hasn’t had the easiest time in the VCARB 03.

Jolyon Palmer is worried about Lawson, and journalist Nelson Valkenburg saw the New Zealander using a ‘weird’ driving technique up close to try and get a handle on this new car.

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

Liam Lawson getting more and more ‘frustrated’ with Racing Bulls’ 2026 F1 car in testing

Valkenburg was commentating for Dutch TV in Bahrain, and on the Nailing the Apex Podcast, he reported back from what he saw during testing from the Racing Bulls drivers.

He explained: “I think Liam Lawson is struggling massively with this car.

“Arvid Lindblad, I got the sense that he really maturely got on with the job.

“But Lawson got frustrated by the car and started pushing through understeer, doing some weird stuff.

“We know how much he struggled with rear instability last year and how happy he was when he got back into the stable V-CARB car.

Could this be the issue that ends Liam Lawson’s Formula 1 career?

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“And if this car requires some rear instability by virtue of the downshifts and how you turn into a corner and try to move all the weight forward, it looked like he was struggling to get his head around it all.

“And he looked frustrated and more frustrated as the test went on. He didn’t settle where Lindblad settled.”

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

Racing Bulls could have top speed advantage that will benefit Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad

Testing can only give fans clues as to what the pecking order will look like once qualifying starts for the Australian Grand Prix.

The top four teams from last season appear to still have an advantage over the rest of the field, with the likes of Aston Martin and Cadillac at the back of the field.

Racing Bulls’ top speed data was very impressive, and suggests that the new Red Bull power unit is already very competitive.

However, if the new regulations mean that the rear end of these cars is going to be difficult to control, then that doesn’t suit Lawson’s driving style at all.

He was far more comfortable at Racing Bulls in a more stable car compared to the trickier Red Bull last season, although Lawson maintains that people misunderstand what was so difficult about racing alongside Max Verstappen for the Milton Keynes-based team.

If Lindblad is better suited to the VCARB 03, then Lawson faces a real predicament going forward.

Red Bull have several young drivers pushing to make it into F1, and he can’t leave himself as the most vulnerable to being replaced with no guarantees another manufacturer would want to sign him at this stage.