Liam Lawson regains form at Racing Bulls after Red Bull exit, with team boss Mekies stressing progress in pace, not confidence.
Laurent Mekies, the head of Racing Bulls, dismissed the idea that the team had “rebuilt” Liam Lawson following his abrupt dismissal from Red Bull.
The New Zealander began the 2025 season alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull but was sidelined after just two races in Australia and China. Yuki Tsunoda took over his seat, with Lawson returning to Racing Bulls.
Though Lawson was initially outperformed by his new teammate Isack Hadjar, he appears to be gradually finding his rhythm again. He scored his first points of the season with an eighth-place finish in Monaco and narrowly missed out on another in Barcelona, finishing 11th, just behind a penalised Max Verstappen.
Lawson is gaining confidence—a key factor in his resurgence, according to Mekies.
“No, we’re not the ones trying to rebuild Liam,” he replied when asked whether the team had helped restore Lawson’s confidence.
“Liam came in, had to take on a new car mid-season, and that’s very difficult. Just as it was tough for Yuki to join Red Bull, it was tough for Liam to get behind the wheel of a car he’d never driven before.”
“So it took time—not so much to regain confidence, but to get used to our car—and his lap times are improving with every race.”
“Again, I wouldn’t speak of confidence. I’d simply say he’s taking control of the car, getting more comfortable, and is therefore increasingly able to push.”