Starting sixth, Liam Lawson seemed set to take a giant step towards an F1 2026 seat at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Then he locked up into the first corner, piled into Oscar Piastri’s McLaren and eventually finished a lap down in 14th. It as yet another sign that the former Red Bull driver has lost his way…
Why Liam Lawson has become F1 2025’s answer to Daniil Kvyat
A version of this article originally appeared in PlanetF1.com’s conclusions from the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix
You can tell a lot abut a Formula 1 driver by the way his fellow competitors talk about him in public.
Max Verstappen is never paid a bigger compliment than on those days Fernando Alonso, his kindred spirit, speaks almost in awe of him as was the case at Suzuka earlier this season.
In the case of Liam Lawson, the view among his rival drivers – particularly so since he arrived on the grid on a full-time basis at the end of 2024 – has never been especially flattering.
Liam Lawson vs Isack Hadjar: Racing Bulls head-to-head scores for F1 2025
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
It was Alonso, you’ll recall, who first raised the alarm in Lawson’s first race back in Austin last year, taking exception to his aggressive defensive tactics in the sprint race.
Yet it was Carlos Sainz who summed it up best following his collision with Lawson at Zandvoort earlier this season.
“It’s a corner that allows two cars to race each other without really having to have any unnecessary contact,” Sainz said of the incident at Turn 1.
“But with Liam, it always seems to be very difficult to make that happen.
“He always seems to prefer to have a bit of contact and risk a DNF or a puncture, like we did, than to actually accept having two cars side by side.”
There was another reminder of what Lawson’s peers really think of him at the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month when he made contact with Oliver Bearman on the opening lap of the sprint race.
Bearman’s reaction over team radio was as cutting as it was succinct: “Typical Lawson.”
There was a lot to like about Lawson – the confidence, the aggression, the totally unfazed Red Bullness about him – when he made his F1 debut more than two years ago.
His car control, allowing him to qualify high in tricky conditions in Baku and Vegas since the summer break, remains his greatest asset.
Yet too often these days he allows the good he does to be undone by the sort of messy incident that ruined his Las Vegas Grand Prix, piling into Oscar Piastri at the first corner.
It begs the question: what is Liam Lawson now?
What really are his prospects now he bears the scars of being bombed out of Red Bull after just two races of this season?
He is 2025’s answer to Daniil Kvyat, a ghostly figure that casts no shadow on the grid, with zero hope of ever returning to Red Bull’s senior team no matter what he does.
And, crucially, without the consistent, punching-above-his-weight excellence on his return to the junior team that helped Pierre Gasly rebuild his reputation from a similarly perilous position in 2019-22.
More on Liam Lawson and Racing Bulls from PlanetF1.com
It was suggested some weeks ago that even with Red Bull parting ways with Honda at the end of this season, theoretically leaving no reason to retain Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson is the one most likely to be left without a seat for 2026.
A final decision on Red Bull’s driver lineups for next season, widely expected to see Isack Hadjar promoted to Red Bull Racing as Verstappen’s teammate with Arvid Lindblad taking one of the Racing Bulls seats, is set to be made before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
If the next two races prove to be the last of Lawson’s career, be it temporarily or permanently, he can have few complaints having had his chance.
And some of his competitors would not be sad to see him go.
Reader reaction: Liam Lawson’s bleak career prospects
RingoKid: A Liam Lawson hit piece ? Oh dear, he has upset the Brits and Latino fans, not to mention drivers.
Never mind that Sainz is causing more damage, Bearman has the most penalty points. Colapinto hasn’t scored a point but guaranteed a seat, Bortoleto can’t stay off the walls and Yuki in a faster car can’t even get close to Lawson.
The kid makes for great entertainment, click bait and talking points. Most everyone else lack any sort of presence or personality.
That they have to drop Lawsons name just to get a mention speaks volumes about Liam’s uncompromising skill on the track and reluctance to kowtow to fading veterans or entitled upstarts.
When was the last time anyone ever mentioned Gasly, Albon or Hulkenberg? When was the last time they did anything worth mentioning or stood out from the pack?
Why isn’t anyone calling for their heads and not just Lawson’s? They’re easily replaceable midfield and back markers.
Lawson deserves and has earnt his seat in F1 this season more than Stroll, Alonso and yes even Hamilton. He’s been consistently running top of the midfield, making Q3 and owning his mistakes.
F1 needs more racers like Lawson, not less and is in a better place for having him on the grid!
T C: To me, and I have been following F1 for a long long time now, Liam reminds me of the second coming of Verstappen.
Jos that is. Not a great qualifier (even against reasonable not great drivers such as Pedro de la Rosa), Jos had to compensate with courage and brawn, often resulting in accidents.
Jos too was successful early on but was eventually kicked out of the main team Benetton.
RingoKid: Lawson has got a lot of drivers worried!
Their biggest fear is that Lawson partners Max in a rocketship next year because if Max gets P1 in Q3 and Liam on his wing, no one would get past Liam to challenge Max.
The kid could be the best wingman Max ever had and has proven he can qualify fast enough and has more then enough racecraft and pace to keep frontrunners behind while driving in defense.
Way more so than current teammates Tsunoda and Hadjar.
And putting an F2 misfiring Lindblad in as a rookie F1 driver instead of Lawson next season speaks more of desperation than stability and continuity.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Lawson isn’t broken. He’s breaking others and it seems the fix is in for him because of it.
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