Racing Bulls seeks consistency from Lawson after promising start

Liam Lawson has started the 2026 F1 season with renewed stability and back-to-back points finishes, a stark contrast to his turbulent rookie year. While his raw speed is evident, Racing Bulls team boss Alan Permane emphasizes that eliminating mistakes and finding consistency is the New Zealander's critical next step to unlock his full potential.

Why it matters:

After a disruptive 2025 that saw him demoted from Red Bull after just two races, Lawson's solid start represents a crucial reset for his F1 career. For Racing Bulls, harnessing his clear talent with greater reliability is key to solidifying their position in the ultra-competitive midfield and capitalizing on what they believe is a surprisingly strong new power unit.

The details:

• A Strong Start: Lawson has scored points in two of the first three races, with a seventh-place finish in both the China Sprint and Grand Prix, followed by a ninth in Japan, helping the team to seventh in the constructors' standings.
• Team's Focus on Consistency: Permane praised Lawson's "immense talent" but identified erratic performance as the main area for improvement. "We can’t be qualifying third on the grid one weekend and then out in Q1 the following weekend," he stated, noting Lawson is working hard to eliminate these lows.
• Technical Challenges: Lawson highlighted that mastering the 2026 car's energy deployment is a major challenge, where finding the balance between cornering speed and battery management over a lap is difficult.
• Power Unit Surprise: A key strength for the team has been their new power unit, which Lawson described as "very, very strong" and exceeding expectations for a first-year engine.
• Upgrade Pipeline: The team is preparing a two-stage upgrade plan, with new parts initially slated for Bahrain now arriving in Miami, followed by another package in Canada due to calendar reshuffles.

What's next:

The immediate focus for Lawson and Racing Bulls is converting his evident speed into dependable weekend-to-weekend results. The upcoming upgrade packages for Miami and Canada will be a critical test of the team's development pace and Lawson's ability to extract consistent performance from the evolving car. If he can successfully eliminate the performance dips, he is poised to make a "fantastic step" forward.