Browse
Log in / Register
Share
Liam Lawson delivered a convincing statement at the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday, qualifying eighth in his first weekend back with Red Bull Racing. The 23-year-old New Zealander stepped into the senior squad on short notice after Isack Hadjar was sidelined with a wrist injury, and reached Q3 for the first time as a Red Bull driver. His final lap was just over a tenth of a second slower than teammate Max Verstappen, who could only manage seventh.
The result marks a sharp turnaround from Lawson’s turbulent start to 2025. After a two-race stint with Red Bull early in the season, he was demoted back to Racing Bulls, a move that could have dented any driver’s confidence. Yet Lawson insists he never doubted his own ability, only that the circumstances weren’t right. “We all have plenty of self-belief as drivers. Maybe too much sometimes,” he said with a smile. “But what happened last year was tough. For me personally, I knew that with the right circumstances and more time, I could show what I can do with a race car. It was nice to put that to paper today.”
The qualifying performance was made even more impressive by the limited preparation time. Lawson received the call-up just days before the weekend, and had to adapt to a Red Bull car that he described as “very different” from the Racing Bulls machinery he has driven all season. The main challenge, he explained, was the steering feel and the seating position. “The steering is the most different. We have very different feels in terms of how much we use and how much we lock the car. That’s been the biggest thing to get my head around,” Lawson said. He also noted that the ergonomics of the Red Bull cockpit made the car physically more demanding. “I’ve struggled so much more with just being in the car,” he admitted.
Lawson’s final Q3 lap was further complicated by a rain threat that forced Red Bull to abandon the usual build-lap procedure. Instead of a warm-up lap followed by a push, he went straight into a flying lap without prior experience of that approach. “I had no idea going into Turn 1 what I was going to get,” he said. Despite the uncertainty, he only lost time at Turn 10, where he “lost the front” and felt a better lap was possible. “It’s a shame, because up until that point it was improving quite a lot. I think we were on for an even better lap,” he added.
Verstappen, meanwhile, continued to struggle with the balance of his RB21. The reigning world champion made significant changes to the car after the sprint race, but reported that the improvements didn’t materialize. “We changed quite a bit, and it actually didn’t make a difference. The balance was pretty much the same as what I had all weekend,” Verstappen said. “So it didn’t really allow me to push or feel comfortable with the car. That’s the position you end up in.”
Lawson’s qualifying performance was a notable improvement over his sprint race earlier in the day, where he finished 11th after battling for much of the 24-lap sprint with his regular Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad. The pair remained closely matched, but Lawson couldn’t find a way past on a circuit where overtaking proved notoriously difficult. “It’s frustrating when you can’t overtake. We also struggled on tyres. I definitely learned a lot about that for tomorrow,” he said after the sprint.
The eighth-place qualifying result is particularly significant for Red Bull’s broader driver
