Liam Lawson has described his current stint with Racing Bulls as “baffling,” particularly in terms of race pace failing to translate into tangible results. Speaking to on-site media in Miami, the New Zealander admitted that while the underlying speed has been present, the outcomes have been far from what he or the team had anticipated.
Since stepping in for the team at the Japanese Grand Prix, Lawson has endured a frustrating run of form, failing to score any points in four consecutive race weekends. Despite showing glimpses of competitiveness, his best finish so far has been 12th place in Jeddah. He came home 17th in Japan and 16th in Bahrain, while his Miami weekend ended in double disappointment—retiring from both the sprint and the main race. To make matters worse, Lawson has been consistently outpaced by his rookie teammate, Isack Hadjar.
Reflecting on his performances, Lawson acknowledged that he feels comfortable in the car but has yet to enjoy a trouble-free weekend. In Miami, he was involved in two separate incidents: a collision with Fernando Alonso during the sprint and being taken out by Jack Doohan in the main race. The 23-year-old Red Bull junior confessed that the results and sequence of misfortunes have been unexpected and disheartening, especially given the promise shown in his early sessions and prior experience as a reserve driver.
Expressing his opinion on his weekends so far with the Racing Bulls team, Liam Lawson said:
“Most of them have been pretty shocking. Comfort-wise, I feel really good in the car, the speed has been pretty good most places. Comfort-wise, I feel really good in the car, the speed has been pretty good most places. The speed has been there for most of it. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out for us so far.”
“I had a really good start, a big gap opened up into Turn 1. I went in following whoever was in front of me. Then I felt a hit from the side, I don’t know what happened. We took some big damage. We were waiting for some rain or something like that, but it never came.”
Lawson is among four drivers who are yet to register a point in the 2025 F1 season.
Liam Lawson laments at this ‘horrendous’ weekend in Miami
Liam Lawson described the Miami Grand Prix weekend as a disappointment for himself and the Racing Bulls team after a series of setbacks derailed any hopes of a strong result. The New Zealander was forced to retire from the sprint race following contact, which left his car with damage that affected the remainder of the weekend. While he found encouragement in the team’s qualifying pace, Lawson revealed that they were also hampered by an engine issue that limited their performance.
Despite the continued absence of points finishes since his return to the grid, the Red Bull junior remained optimistic. Liam Lawson believes that there is potential in the package and is confident that with a clean weekend and improved execution, both he and the team can start turning their form around. The Kiwi remains focused on making the most of his limited opportunities as he continues to push for a full-time seat in Formula 1.
Commenting on his Miami GP weekend, Liam Lawson said:
"It was pretty horrendous. It is a shame for the guys, they've done a good job and the car has been fast, and that is how we have to be in the sport. We have to keep working forwards, keep improving, and our approach to the weekend was really good, so it'll click eventually. These [last few] tracks have felt pretty good, and I felt going into qualifying, but we had the engine issue, and I felt good at the start of the race.”
Since his brief two-race stint with the Red Bulls, Liam Lawson has struggled to recapture the form that once made him a standout prospect. Compared to his impressive outings with the same team in late 2023 and early 2024, the 2025 season has been a frustrating run of underwhelming results. Lawson is yet to open his points tally this year, while his rookie teammate, Isack Hadjar, has already scored five points, highlighting a stark contrast in momentum between the two.
In Miami, Liam Lawson was outpaced by Hadjar in both the sprint qualifying and the main qualifying session. This continued a pattern seen at previous rounds in Japan and Bahrain, where the Kiwi was similarly outqualified and outperformed. Saudi Arabia remains the only event where Lawson managed to edge ahead of his teammate in qualifying, though that performance has yet to translate into race-day results.
With Red Bull’s well-known emphasis on performance and results, Lawson is under growing pressure to deliver. In a system that offers limited time for underperformance, the clock is ticking for the driver to rediscover his rhythm and prove he still deserves a place in F1’s fiercely competitive environment.