Liam Lawson of New Zealand driving the (30) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls VCARB 02 arrives on the grid … More
At just 23 years old, Liam Lawson become one of the faces of Formula 1 this year. His ascent to Red Bull Racing seemed to be the perfect fit, rising to on-track fame and fortune with a prestigious organization.
But just two races into his tenure with Red Bull, team principal Christian Horner demoted him and sent him back to the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team in lieu of Yuki Tsunoda. The move sent shockwaves across the Formula 1 paddock for Red Bull’s fast decision. However, they are not giving up on Lawson, a top prospect from New Zealand.
“It hasn’t really been much to adjust to,” Lawson said of returning to Racing Bulls. “I obviously raced with him when I first came into Formula 1. So it’s a team I’m very familiar with, with the grand prix I did last year. I think it’s more just adjusting to the car, which is slightly different than what I was racing at the start of the year. But yeah, it’s obviously a very welcoming team as well. So it’s been, it’s been very smooth.”
Lawson ran five events for Racing Bulls in 2023 and six in 2024 before getting the nod from Red Bull for the 2025 slate. He scored six points in those events, making him eligible for the team’s open seat after they release Sergio Perez.
Now, as he settles back into the team he previously competed for, he is setting modest goals for the remainder of the year.
“I think the car has been in a pretty good place,” Lawson said. “The last couple of races were probably a little more tough than the start of the season for the team. But it’s very, very close this year, honestly. So especially in the midfield, one or two tenths can make the difference between being out in Q1 and then Q3. Puts a lot of pressure on us as drivers to piece everything together, and it puts pressure on the team to try and do all the development we can to try and maximize the car.”
To maximize performance, Racing Bulls expanded its relationship with ExxonMobil, with the main Red Bull team. ExxonMobil is now the official partner for both teams, with a Trackside Lab accompanying the partnership to maximize performance.
“It’s the same fuel technology that powers our racecar, which people can use in the everyday cars with ExxonMobil synergy gasoline,” he explained.
This weekend, Formula 1 returns to America for the Miami Grand Prix. Lawson has never competed at the circuit. To prepare, the rookie racer has a strategy in place.
“It’s obviously going to be exciting to drive,” Lawson said of Miami. “It’s a sprint. So it’s pretty tough on us, especially the guys who haven’t driven the track like myself, to try and get up to speed quickly.
“We spend a lot of time in the simulator to try and learn because that’s really the only way we can really test the car. That’s a lot of time spent driving in the simulator, a lot of time spent training and then basic preparations with the team. So we have a big engineering department that is working on developing the car and pushing everything forward. It’s very important to work alongside them and to learn off them, as well.”
The Miami Grand Prix will take the green flag on Sunday, May 4 at 4 p.m. ET.
