Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson starts 2026 as the most experienced driver at Racing Bulls. 

After Sergio Perez's dismissal at the end of 2024, Lawson was announced as Max Verstappen's teammate for 2025. The Kiwi got the nod over Yuki Tsunoda, despite the latter winning the qualifying head-to-head 6-0 in 2024 when they were teammates at the sister team.

Lawson was immediately under huge pressure and, after two drab results, brutally lost his seat. Lawson returned to Red Bull's sister team, where he rebuilt his confidence and form throughout the remainder of 2025, earning a stay for 2026. 

Liam Lawson's route into F1

Despite his limited F1 experience, Lawson was immediately a close match for Tsunoda in 2024, with Red Bull favouring the former due to his temperament and adaptability. 

Lawson got his F1 opportunity in 2023 when Daniel Ricciardo sustained an injury at the Dutch Grand Prix. This chance followed several promising years in the junior categories. Lawson also impressed Red Bull bosses with his DTM (German touring cars) campaign in 2021, where he finished as runner-up after a controversial season finale.

Lawson has shown flashes of pace, scoring points on three occasions. Notably, he knocked Max Verstappen out of making it into Q3 at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.

However, two poor races for Red Bull led to them brutally dropping him for the Japanese Grand Prix, giving Tsunoda a chance.