Liam Lawson has admitted that his Formula One dream feels “not so clear” after his brief and bruising stint at Red Bull Racing earlier this year. The New Zealander was promoted from Racing Bulls to partner Max Verstappen at the start of 2025 but lasted just two races before being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda.
Now back with the junior outfit, Lawson is fighting to rebuild confidence and prove his worth in a driver programme where the margin for error has always been razor-thin.
What a difference a year makes. Lawson first joined the Racing Bulls as a stand in for the injured Daniel Ricciardo in 2023 scoring points in the searing heat in Singapore. Whilst this was his only top ten finish as a substitute for five race weekends, he was ahead of experienced team mate Yuki Tsunoda in all but one of their races together.
Shock promotion for Lawson to Red Bull
When Daniel Ricciardo was given his marching orders following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, Lawson was again to fill in as the Racing Bull’s full time driver for the final six race weekends. He claimed North position o his return in Texas and again in a challenging race in a rain soaked Sao Paulo, but unlike the previous season Tsunoda proved to fair better than his team mate making him favourite to replace Sergio Perez.
Then came the shock decision from Red Bull, to promote the New Zealand driver with his eleven Grand Prix weekend’s experience, ahead of their Japanese driver who was entering his fifth season with the Red Bull family. Lawson was to cash out of a wet race in Melbourne followed by a twelfth place in China, behind the Racing bull of Isack Hadjar.
Just two race weekends into the season, Red Bull took the extra-ordinary decision of replacing Verstappen’s new team mate, with Yuki Tsunoda. Lawson following his demotion continued to struggle and it was the sixth race for the Racing Bulls in Monaco before he scored his first points of the season.
Liam makes up ground on Hadjar
Meanwhile his rookie team mate Isack Hadjar was impressing, with four points finishes across the first eight weekends of the year. Lawson looked lost. Yet a barren run of five Grand Prix without making the top ten, saw Liam make in roads into his team mates lead, leaving him just two points behind the French-Algerian in the run up to the Dutch Grand Prix.
Hadjar’s remarkable third place in Zandvoort changed the mood music once again as he has been widely tipped to become Verstappen’s team mate in 2026. Ahead of the Italian Grand prix this weekend in Monza, Lawson reflects on his up and down start to his F1 career.
“I think it’s tough. I think my dream, as much as I wanted to be a Red Bull Racing driver, that’s what I worked towards from becoming a Red Bull junior,” says the New Zealander.
“The dream I’ve had since I was five years old has been world champion, has been winning in Formula 1 and reaching the top of the sport. And I think that’s more or less where my dream sits, where my goal is, trying to become the best. That’s what we’re all working towards. And I think where I do that is not so clear as much as I thought it was.”
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Red Bull chews up junior drivers
What Lawson perceives the future will hold is unclear, but he is clearly reticent about his future with Red Bull Racing. The ruthlessness with Liam has been treated with since the turn of the year is echoed in previous Red Bull stories: Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Daniil Kvyat — all young drivers thrown in, and swiftly, when they failed to match Verstappen’s pace.
Back at Racing Bulls, Lawson has shown flashes of promise, including a sixth-place finish in Austria. But Zandvoort offered a reminder of how narrow the margins are. A collision with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz after a safety car restart shredded his tyre and ruined what had looked like another points finish.
“We were behind probably George before everything happened, and the car has been very, very strong, so there’s no reason why we wouldn’t have come home with very strong points today,” Lawson explained. “We were just consistent in the first stint, sort of managing, and a restart is always aggressive and tough, and obviously it’s time for opportunities, but something that risky is when we’re both in the points like that, it just sucks.”
Hadjar odds on to replace Tsunoda
Despite the frustration, Lawson praised Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar, who finished third to deliver the team’s first podium since 2021. “For the team, it’s very, very cool. It’s very cool for Isack and his side. They’ve done a very, very good job this weekend,” he said.
“The car has been very strong recently, so it’s great to show the performance of it today. It’s very, very cool for Isack as well. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring both cars home in the points, but obviously very, very positive for the team and hopefully we can take that forward into the next few races.”
Hadjar’s strong performances in his rookie season make him the odds on favourite for the Red Bull seat alongside Verstappen in 2026. For Lawson the best he can hope for is to continue at the Racing Bulls and he will likely be joined by another rising star in the Red Bull junior programme in Arvid Lindblad.
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F1 based on results, not dreams
In Formula One, dreams tend to collide with reality somewhere between the hospitality tent and the pit wall. Lawson’s admission that his childhood dream is “not so clear” reads less like a confession and more like a diagnosis of life in Red Bull’s talent factory. Everyone enters convinced they’re the next Vettel; most leave convinced they were lucky to last two races.
The cruel irony is that Lawson isn’t failing badly — he’s just failing to be Verstappen, which is the same thing in Milton Keynes. The comparison is un winnable, like turning up to a darts pub and finding legend Phil Taylor already at the oche.
Hadjar’s podium only adds to the sting. Red Bull has a new favoured son, and Lawson knows it. He praises his teammate with all the enthusiasm of a man handing over his job description to the intern. And while he insists he still believes in his dream, the tone is unmistakable: Formula One doesn’t care much for dreams, only results.
Verstappen to drive Racing Bull in FP1?
Max Verstappen admitted to being unsettled by Red Bull’s lack of competitiveness after finding himself locked in a race-long duel with the junior Racing Bulls outfit at his home Dutch Grand Prix.
Although Verstappen finished second at Zandvoort behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and ahead of RB driver Isack Hadjar in third, the result was flattered by Lando Norris’ late retirement. The real story, according to the Dutchman, was Red Bull’s lack of race pace, which left him fighting a car that should have been a step behind.
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
