Permane feels Lawson is starting to overcome his inconsistency in qualifying.<\/p>\n
The Kiwi made Q3 (the top 10 in qualifying) eight times in 2025, but also failed to make it out of Q1 (the first, full qualifying field) seven times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve said it many times and I\u2019ll say again with Liam, I see immense talent there,\u201d Permane told Speedcafe. \u201cSome of his performances last year were outstanding. What he needs to do, and what he is doing so far, is eliminate mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t be qualifying third on the grid one weekend and then out in Q1 the following weekend, and he knows that. And he\u2019s working hard to ensure that doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if he doesn\u2019t improve his top level, if he just eliminates the bad level and lifts everything up to what we know he\u2019s capable of, that will already be a fantastic step. And that\u2019s the next thing to build.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019d much rather he works on, not works on the absolute pace, because I think that\u2019s there, it\u2019s working on the consistency, which he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawson qualified eighth for the 2026 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but had a problem with his car during launch and finished 13th. In Shanghai and Japan, he made it into Q2 and went on to grab points.<\/p>\n
He has admitted that he is still getting used to the new regulations this year but has generally been happy with the reliability of his car and the race strategy from the team.<\/p>\n
While it has been a positive start, Lawson is looking for more.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing forward, the goal is to find more performance in the car, and once we do that, we\u2019ll be in a strong position. We\u2019ve been able to score in every race this year, which gives us a good platform to keep building.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next race is in Miami on May 3.<\/p>\n