Liam Lawson — 2025 season

Liam Lawson's 2025 Formula 1 season was defined by an early-season team change and a subsequent effort to establish consistency and score points with Racing Bulls, culminating in a 14th-place finish in the Drivers' Championship.

Going in

Lawson began the 2025 campaign with Red Bull Racing, a position that carried significant expectations given his prior F1 debut and Red Bull's recent history of success in the ground-effect era. The field had notably closed up in 2024, moving past the period of Red Bull's absolute dominance in 2022–2023, yet the team remained a front-runner. However, Lawson's tenure at Red Bull was brief and challenging. His season started with an accident and DNF at the Australian Grand Prix, followed by a P12 finish at the Chinese Grand Prix. Following these two rounds, a significant shift occurred: Lawson was moved to Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister team, for the remainder of the 24-race calendar. This mid-season transition meant adapting to a different car and team dynamic almost immediately.

How it played out

Transitioning to Racing Bulls, Lawson faced the immediate challenge of integrating into a new environment. His first races with the team, Japan and Bahrain, yielded P17 and P16 finishes respectively, underscoring the adjustment period. The early part of the season saw him consistently outside the points, including DNFs in Miami due to collision damage, Canada from overheating, and Britain from another collision. However, Lawson soon began to find his rhythm with the Racing Bulls car. He secured his first points of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix, finishing P8. This marked a turning point, as he then delivered a series of solid performances, including a P6 at the Austrian Grand Prix and a P8 at both the Belgian and Hungarian Grand Prix events. His strongest points haul came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he finished P5, adding 10 points to his tally. He continued to score points in São Paulo (P7) and Qatar (P9), demonstrating his capability to extract performance from the Racing Bulls package in a competitive midfield. By the end of the season, Lawson had accumulated 38 points, placing him 14th in the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship. He achieved no wins or podiums across his 24 race starts.

Defining moments

The most significant event of Lawson's 2025 season was undoubtedly his early-season transfer from Red Bull Racing to Racing Bulls. This move, occurring after just two rounds, fundamentally reshaped his year, forcing a rapid adaptation to a new car and team. His P5 finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix stands out as a performance highlight. Starting from third on the grid, Lawson converted a strong qualifying into his best race result, showcasing his pace and race management skills. Another notable drive was his P6 at the Austrian Grand Prix, where he maintained his starting position and secured valuable points. These performances, particularly in Baku, demonstrated Lawson's potential to compete at the sharp end of the midfield, even as the broader landscape continued to evolve with the ground-effect regulations. For context, other drivers like also navigated the intricacies of this era, albeit from a different competitive standing.