Liam Lawson — 2026 season

Liam Lawson's 2026 Formula 1 season was a condensed, impactful five-race stint with Racing Bulls, where he navigated the significant technical regulation changes to secure a top-ten championship position despite a partial calendar.

Going in

The 2026 Formula 1 season marked a significant pivot for the sport, introducing a new era of technical regulations. With a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electric power, the cars featured active aerodynamics, were designed to be lighter, and ran on fully sustainable fuels. This regulatory overhaul, coupled with a reset for power unit suppliers, meant every team faced a steep learning curve. For Liam Lawson, his entry into the 2026 season with Racing Bulls was not from the outset. Having debuted in 2023, Lawson was a known quantity within the Red Bull driver program, and his call-up for five races in 2026 placed him directly into a championship landscape where teams were still grappling with the nuances of their new machinery. The Racing Bulls team, in particular, would have been focused on understanding how their package performed under these revised conditions, a challenge Lawson would share for his limited appearances.

How it played out

Lawson's 2026 campaign began at the Australian Grand Prix, where he qualified a respectable 8th but finished 13th, just outside the points. This initial outing highlighted the competitive midfield under the new regulations. His points-scoring breakthrough arrived swiftly at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he converted a 14th-place grid start into a 7th-place finish, earning 6 points. This performance demonstrated his ability to manage races and extract performance as the team gained understanding of the new car. He followed this with another points finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, securing 9th place from 14th on the grid, adding 2 more points to his tally.

The Miami Grand Prix, however, presented a setback. Starting 11th, Lawson's race ended prematurely with a gearbox issue after just six laps, marking his sole DNF of the season. He rebounded decisively at the Canadian Grand Prix, once again starting 12th and finishing 7th, collecting another 6 points. Across his five races, Lawson accumulated 16 points, placing him 10th in the Drivers' Championship. This partial season performance, without any podium finishes or wins, was a testament to his consistent points-scoring capability when the car held together. It also provides a contrast to full-season efforts, such as Lewis Hamilton's 2025 season, where consistent points accumulation over a full calendar yields higher championship positions.