Lawson: New F1 era offers Racing Bulls major upgrade opportunity

Liam Lawson believes Racing Bulls is perfectly positioned to exploit the rapid development race enabled by Formula 1's new regulations, where significant aerodynamic upgrades can deliver bigger performance leaps than in the previous era. The team's strong operational start and reliability provide a solid foundation to chase these gains aggressively.

Why it matters:

The shift from the mature ground-effect regulations to a new cycle changes the competitive dynamic. Previously, upgrades yielded minimal gains, but now teams can find substantial chunks of performance, allowing for more dramatic swings in the competitive order. For a midfield team like Racing Bulls, this represents a crucial window to out-develop rivals and solidify—or even improve—its surprising early-season position.

The details:

• Lawson notes that in the final years of the old rules, upgrades might only find "a few hundredths of a second." The new car platform allows for "much bigger" updates that can be delivered at a faster rate.
• Capitalizing on this development war is now the team's primary focus, described as what they are "chasing the hardest."
• This push is built upon a notably strong start to 2025. The team sits seventh in the Constructors' Championship with 14 points, just two behind the senior Red Bull squad.
• Lawson personally has two points, placing him just behind Max Verstappen in the Drivers' standings.
• Beyond the car, the team's trackside execution has been a strength. Lawson highlighted excellent reliability, smart strategy calls, and an ability to extract the maximum from the package each weekend.

What's next:

The team's challenge is to maintain its flawless operational record while successfully translating its factory development work into effective performance on the car. If Racing Bulls can consistently deliver substantial upgrades, it has a genuine chance to threaten for 'best of the rest' honors behind the very top teams and make their current points advantage over Red Bull Racing a sustained reality.