Liam Lawson concedes his F1 future is “not so clear” after Red Bull exit

Liam Lawson has opened up about his Formula 1 championship aspirations after what has been a difficult season for the Kiwi. After being dropped by Red Bull just two race weekends into the year but finding confidence as he progresses through this season, he has admitted that he is not quite sure where his future lies.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix in which his team-mate Isack Hadjar scored his first podium finish while Lawson finished outside the points, he discussed his career trajectory following his roller coaster start to the year.

“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.

“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.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / LAT Images via Getty Images

The race at Zandvoort was frustrating for the Racing Bulls driver, who had his day ruined by a collision with Williams’ Carlos Sainz. He was forced to pit after the clash resulted in a damaged tyre, and while Sainz was penalised for the incident, Lawson’s Dutch campaign was all but over.

While he’s shown more promise at Red Bull’s sister team alongside rookie Hadjar, scoring 20 points from 13 races, his recent comments beg the question as to whether he will work to stay with the outfit.

Speaking about his team-mate’s podium, he complimented his team for the strong machinery.

“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.

“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.”

He was further pushed on what he could have been capable of with a clean race.

“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.

“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.”

Photos from Dutch GP – Race