Liam Lawson has been challenged to make himself undroppable at Racing Bulls, as team principal Alan Permane assessed the New Zealander’s status at the team.
Lawson, who is preparing for his first full season with the Red Bull junior F1 team, has been tasked with eliminating the “inexplicable” low points which Permane says sometimes occur, and let the “real genius” seen at times in his driving become a regular occurrence.
Alan Permane: Make us think we’ve ‘got to hang on to this guy’
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Though Lawson made his grand prix debut in 2023, he is yet to complete a full campaign with one team. 2023 and 2024 brought about stand-in appearances with AlphaTauri/Racing Bulls, while he started 2025 at the senior Red Bull team, before being demoted back to Racing Bulls after two race weekends.
Lawson has been retained for F1 2026, and Permane, in conversation with GPBlog, said Racing Bulls strives to reach a stage with Lawson “where we want to keep him here”, as Lawson attempts to secure his longer-term future in the sport.
“I want him to deliver so that we think, ‘Wow, we’ve got to hang on to this guy. He’s really good,’” Permane added.
Permane, pointing to Baku and Las Vegas 2025 qualifying, said that Lawson showed “some real genius in his driving” in such examples. From third on the grid, Lawson raced to fifth in Baku, and bettered then-Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar by half a second in Las Vegas qualifying, securing sixth on the grid.
Hadjar went on to secure an F1 2026 promotion to the senior Red Bull team.
Permane also stated that Lawson “had brilliant races in Spa, in Hungary, in Austria,” demonstrating that there is “some real talent there” in the New Zealander.
But, Lawson now has to show that consistently, Permane stressed.
It is therefore clear what Lawson must do, if he is to make himself an indispensable asset for Racing Bulls.
“Sometimes inexplicably, he will go out and Q1, and he doesn’t understand it,” Permane said of Lawson.
“The good stuff is good, it’s there. And just to eliminate the poor, unexplained results that sometimes come.
“I think once you can do that, the rest will start snowballing and improve.”
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Liam Lawson can show Arvid Lindblad no mercy
Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer recently stated that Lawson earned a new Racing Bulls contract after “stabilising” his performance, following a torrid two race weekends with the senior Red Bull team.
Now firmly the experienced head of Racing Bulls, as he prepares to partner British teenage rookie Arvid Lindblad, Lawson has a highly-rated Red Bull prospect on the other side of the garage to test himself against, and use as a means to demonstrate his worth to Racing Bulls.
Lindblad’s impressive, record-breaking, and rapid ascent up the junior ladder is testament to his talents. His speed is unquestionable, though arguably, the 18-year-old still needs to prove that he can handle the pressure, having seen his Italian Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2 title tilts fizzle out.
Lawson must, via his on-track performances, apply maximum pressure on Lindblad. A good working relationship is important, but, Lawson can show no mercy, as he is the far easier driver to justify moving on, should Racing Bulls need to make such a decision.
Permane’s comments should only further hammer that home for Lawson. He needs to shine in F1 2026.
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