Racing Bulls boss hates to say one thing about Liam Lawson after post-Red Bull slump

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Liam Lawson has had a rollercoaster of a rookie season in F1, with the New Zealander now finding his footing at Racing Bulls after being demoted from Red Bull after just two Grands Prix.

Following two race finishes outside of the points to begin his first full season in F1, key figures within the Red Bull set-up made the decision to swap Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda ahead of the latter’s home Grand Prix in Japan.

Lawson admitted that he was ‘naive’ in thinking Red Bull would give him more time to prove his worth to the team, stating that he would have done things differently if he were aware of the limited time he had.

After a shaky start to his tenure at Racing Bulls, Lawson has found his form and climbed his way up the drivers’ standings to be within two points of his current teammate, Isack Hadjar.

Peter Bayer thinks Liam Lawson was ‘unlucky’ in some parts of his stint with Red Bull

In an interview with Planet F1, Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer shared the evolution he has seen from Lawson after being reunited with the New Zealander following his spells at the Faenza-based team in 2023 and 2024.

“Confidence is something that is very personal,” Bayer said. When I spoke to Liam, he always said his confidence was never [down].”

“He’s done this all his life. Quoting what he said to the media is, ‘I’ve done this all my life. It’s a tough business.’

“I hate to talk about luck and not being lucky, but he was unlucky on a couple of occasions. When he was on a good lap, somebody would be in front of him, somebody would call for a yellow, somebody would call for a red.

“Now, he is fun, happy, like in his best days. So, if ever he was not, today, he certainly is.”

Max Verstappen is yet to know who his Red Bull teammate will be in 2026

Max Verstappen confirmed that he would be a Red Bull driver next season after a period of uncertainty about the four-time world champion’s future following the sacking of long-time team principal Christian Horner.

However, the same cannot be said for the second Red Bull car, with the driver of said car in 2026 still up for debate.

Helmut Marko set a date for a decision on Tsunoda’s future to be announced after the summer break, with the Japanese driver’s performances in the RB21 having left much to be desired, especially when comparing his form with that of his race-winning teammate.

It’s a matter of time before Verstappen voices his frustration with not having a competitive teammate. The Milton Keynes-based team has been suffering in the constructors’ championship in recent years because of it.

F1 fans have predicted Hadjar to partner Verstappen next year. The Frenchman has been impressive in his maiden season in the sport as he still stands as the only driver on the grid not to be knocked out of the first stage in qualifying.